t ■ 

Glass .... LJ O ^-8 . 
Book ,K-5 5 _ 



URO, PETRA, AND DAMASCUS, 



IN 1839. 



REMARKS ON THE GOVERNMENT OF MEHEMET ALL 



THE PRESENT PROSPECTS OF SYRIA. 



BY JOHN KINNEAR, Esq. 




LONDON: 
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET. 



LONDON : 
BRADBURY AND EVANS, PRINTERS, 
WHITBFRIARS. 




TO DAVID ROBERTS, ESQ. A.R.A. 



My dear Roberts, 

The interesting scenes through which we passed last year must 
become better known in this country from the admirable pro- 
ductions of your pencil, so full of truth, so redolent of the very 
atmosphere of Egypt and Arabia, than any written description 
can make them. But however little others may feel interested 
in reading the following pages, I may hope that you will find 
here and there some few words of conversation with our old 
friend Sheich Hussein, or some little incident, unheeded by other 
readers, which shall recall to your mind scenes that could not 
be made the subject of your art, and were too dramatic, perhaps, 
for ordinary prose description. Memory will fill up these meagre 
outlines, supply all the accessories of the picture, and impart to it 
the colouring of nature 

In inscribing this little volume to you, the companion of my 
wanderings, I offer but a slight expression of my sincere regard 
of my value for your friendship, and my admiration of your 
talents. 

JOHN Gr. KINNEAR. 

Glasgow , October 1, 1840. 



PREFACE. 



The object of my visit to the Levant was entirely 
mercantile. Circumstances, unforeseen before my 
arrival at Alexandria, induced me to visit Cairo, 
instead of proceeding directly to Beyrout, as I had 
originally intended ; and until I met with my 
friend, Mr. Roberts, I had never entertained the 
design of making the journey through Arabia 
Petrea, which is related in the following pages. 
These are little more than a transcript of letters 
written to my own family during my absence, after 
suppressing those passages w T hich were of a purely 
domestic character, and adding some observations, 
from notes taken on my journey, and during my 
residence at Beyrout. 

In alluding to topics of sacred topography, or to 
the prophecies so signally fulfilled in the present 
condition of Idumea and Palestine, I may have 
added nothing to what is already well known ; but 



Vlll 



PREFACE. 



where others have borne their testimony to this 
evidence for the truth of Scripture, I could not 
but add mine, though at the risk of appearing 
trite and common -place. 

I am aware that my opinion of the government 
of Mehemet Ali in Syria is more favourable than 
those entertained by many persons in this country ; 
but it has not been hastily adopted; it is the 
result of many inquiries and observations made in 
the country. I have no desire to appear as the 
eulogist of Mehemet Ali ; I would only show that 
his government in Syria has not been productive 
of such unmitigated evil as has been represented — 
that it is, on the whole, better than that of the 
Turkish pachas who formerly ruled in that coun- 
try, and that Mehemet Ali himself is by no means 
so universally hated as is imagined. 

I know that similar opinions are entertained by 
many travellers who have visited Syria lately, and 
who have taken some trouble to investigate this 
subject. 

Glasgotv, October 1, 1840. 



CONTENTS. 



LETTER I. 

PAGE 

Alexandria, its outward aspect, Inhabitants, and Streets — 
Pompey's Pillar and Cleopatra's Needles ... 1 



LETTER II. 

Passage on the Mahmoudi Canal — Atfee — Egyptian village 
— The river Nile, its importance to the Egyptians — Agri- 
culture — Interior of a Sheich's house — Arrival at Cairo 
— Buildings, mosques, bazaars, and inhabitants of that city 
— The Egyptian ladies — Jews and Copts — Tolerant muni- 
cipal sway of the Pacha — Mehemet Ali's palace and 
gardens — Hospitals — Madhouse — Slave-market — Egyp- 
tian magician — The Pyramids — The Sphynx — Projected 
Journey to Palestine by way of Petra — Social condition 
of the Egyptians . 8 



LETTER III. 

Commencement of journey across the Desert — Deceptio visus 
— Suez— Ruins of Serabat el Chadem — Valley : panic of 
its inhabitants — Mounts Sinai and Horeb — Convent and 

monks — Approach to the Red Sea — Arrival at Akaba 

Change of escort . .... . . .50 



X 



CONTENTS. 



LETTER IV. page 
Wady Araba — Gulf of Akaba — Site of Kadesh — Valley of 
Petra : ruins and excavations of that city — Review of 
prophecies concerning Edom— The Arabs, their habits, 
and treatment of travellers — Departure from Petra and 
incidents of the journey thence to Palestine — Gaza — 
Askelon — Jaffa — Cesarea — Mount Carmel — Acre — Tyre 
and Sidon — Arrival at Beyrout . . • . .114 

LETTER V. 

Uneasiness from apprehensions of war — Early history of 
Beyrout — Description of the modern town — The Druses — 
Anzaris — Metawalies, &c 238 

LETTER VI. 

Environs of Beyrout — French entomologist — Nahr el Kelb 
— Nahr el Leban — El Melaha — Antique remains, &c. . 247 

LETTER VII. 
Battle of Nezib — Rejoicings after the victory — Illuminations, 
and female curiosity — Sir Moses Montefiore— The Jews 
resident in Palestine — Future prospects of the race — 
Government of the Pacha . . . . . 252 

LETTER VIII. 
Journey to Damascus, first day : Khan Murad — Plain of the 
Bekaa — The Anti-Libanus — Village of Dumas — Approach 
to Damascus — Public and private buildings, baths, foun- 
tains, gardens, mosques, &c. of that city . . .264 



CONTENTS. 



XI 



LETTER IX. page 

Troubles in the dominions of the Pacha — Climate and 
diseases at Beyrout — Popularity of the English — Environs 
. of the town — The Maronites — Inhabitants of Beyrout — 
Manners, climate, &c. . . . . . . .289 

LETTER X. 

Marine Sham-fight in the harbour of Alexandria — Naval 
resources of the Pacha 304 

LETTER XI. 

Fort Manuel at Malta, and quarantine station — The govern- 
mental policy of Mehemet Ali, with opinions thereon . 307 

LETTER XII. 

Supplementary to the preceding — Prosecution of the Jews — 
Insurrection in Mount Lebanon, &c. — Conclusion . .341 



CAIRO, PETRA, AND DAMASCUS, 

IN 1839. 



LETTER I. 

Alexandria, its outward aspect, Inhabitants, and Streets — 
Pompey's Pillar and Cleopatra's Needles. 

Alexandria f 16th January, 1839. 

My dear , 

I arrived here early this morning, after a 
delightful run of only five days, from Malta ; and 
have only time to write you a few hurried lines, to 
acquaint you with my safe arrival, before I start 
again for Cairo. 

I sailed from Malta, about noon on the 11th, 
on board H. M.'s steamer Hermes, with twenty- 
two passengers, most of them on their way to 
India. 

The weather was as fine, and the wind as fair, 
as could be desired. There was just enough of 
sea to give an agreeable variety of motion ; and 
although a few of the passengers were confined to 

B 



2 



ALEXANDRIA, ITS ASPECT, 



[let. I. 



their berths, and one or two of those on deck did 
not at all times look very happy, we had always 
a pleasant party of fifteen or sixteen at dinner. 

When I came on deck this morning I was told 
that land was in sight, but to my inexperienced 
eyes it was still invisible. Indeed, the coast is 
so low, that you can scarcely discern it until you 
are almost near enough to distinguish the build- 
ings on shore ; and when it is seen, there is 
nothing very attractive in the prospect. As we 
neared the harbour, an Arab boat, with its large 
latteen sail, came bounding over the bright blue 
w T aves towards us ; and having taken the pilot, a 
grey-bearded old sheich, on board, in an hour more 
we had dropped our anchor in the harbour of 
Alexandria. 

My first sensations on looking towards the town 
were, I must confess, rather disappointing. There 
is nothing striking in the view of Alexandria from 
the harbour ; and yet, the long low reach of sand, 
without a tree, or a single spot of verdure, to 
enliven the sterility of the prospect ; the white 
buildings, with here and there a dome, and tall 
slender minarets, cutting sharply into the deep 
blue sky ; . the harbour glowing like molten gold 
under the morning sun ; and the gay dresses in 
the boats passing to and from the shore ; were, 
perhaps, the very materials from which Turner 



LET. I.] 



AND INHABITANTS. 



3 



could have produced one of his dazzling effects, 
and given a beauty to the scene on his canvas, 
which was scarcely to be recognised in the reality. 
But my fancy had been busy, during the voyage, 
forming more splendid pictures of the city of 
Cleopatra and of the Ptolemies. 

Having rowed on shore, passing the Egyptian 
men-of-war at anchor in the harbour, I selected 
the most respectable-looking of a number of 
donkeys, which were waiting on the quay to be 
hired, and rode directly to Hill's Hotel. 

On shore I found everything sufficiently novel 
and interesting. Numbers of Egyptian women, 
in their loose and somewhat scanty robes of 
coarse blue cotton, were seen, some of them 
veiled, and others with their tattooed faces ex- 
posed, carrying water-jars, or baskets, on their 
heads, or naked children astride on their shoulders; 
long strings of camels were passing with logs of 
timber, and bales of goods ; half-naked boys were 
playing in the sun ; and lazy, vagabond-looking 
Arabs sat smoking their pipes under the shadows 
of the houses. 

The hotel is a little way beyond the streets, 
and there I found a grove of date trees, the first 
that I had seen; Greek and Arab servants, in a 
variety of costume, were waiting to be hired by 
the travellers ; — I was among a strange people, 
b 2 



4 



ALEXANDRIA, ITS ASPECT, 



[let. I. 



a strange language was in my ears ; and the 
feelings of disappointment with which I had 
landed quickly disappeared amid the new and 
interesting objects by which I was surrounded. 

I have agreed to accompany, as far as Cairo, 
two of my fellow-passengers on board the Hermes, 
who are on their way to Bombay ; and, as we 
are to start this evening, I have had only a few 
hours to see the lions of Alexandria. Had I had 
time, I should have liked to visit the arsenal and 
naval hospital, which are said to be extensive and 
well-conducted ; but, except these, there is not 
much to detain a traveller long here, unless he 
be a more enthusiastic antiquary than I am. As 
for my companions for the time, they have only 
one or two objects in view at present : to secure 
a good dinner before they start, and to get to Suez 
as quickly as possible. 

Alexandria displays all the bustle and activity 
which indicate a considerable trade, and has risen 
in importance under the government of Mehemet 
Ali. I am told that there are not less than forty 
European establishments in the city ; the harbour 
is full of merchant- vessels ; and the population, 
which was some years ago about 15,000, may now 
be estimated at 40,000, exclusive of 4000 Franks. 
This prosperity, however, has been gained, in a 
great measure, at the expense of Rosetta and 



LET. I.] 



AND INHABITANTS. 



5 



Damietta. The former is said to be quite de- 
serted, and the latter daily declining. 

The Frank quarter is a square of well-built 
comfortable-looking houses, occupied by the differ- 
ent consuls and the principal European merchants ; 
but it has a half-Frankish sort of look, which 
harmonises as badly with the surrounding build- 
ings, as the formal hats and tight trousers of the 
English do with the turbans and ckooftans of the 
natives. 

The bazaars appear close and dark, and the 
streets are narrow and unpaved. At present they 
are so covered with deep mud that it is impossible 
to walk without sinking over the ankles at every 
step ; and even riding on a donkey, I have got be- 
spattered up to the shoulders. 

The suburb, inhabited by the poor Arab popu- 
lation, is a mere collection of mud hovels of the 
most wretched description, too low to be entered 
without stooping, huddled together without any 
plan, interspersed with dunghills, and offending 
the eyes and nose with every species of abomi- 
nation. I believe Alexandria is never quite free 
from the plague ; and, with such a hotbed of 
contagion as this, it is not to be wondered at. 
The people appear to be filthy, too, in their 
habits, and the half-naked children sit in the 
sun, apparently quite insensible to the flies, 



6 



pompey's pillak. 



[let, I. 



which fix in little swarms upon their bleared, in- 
flamed eyes. 

The two great lions, you know, are Pompey's 
Pillar and Cleopatra's Needles. Of the latter, 
which have no connexion with " my serpent of 
old Nile," but were brought from Heliopolis, only 
one remains erect. It is a fine block of Thebaic 
granite sixty feet in height, and is covered with 
hieroglyphics. The other lies half -buried in the 
sand. 

Pompey's Pillar stands on a low sandy eminence 
about a quarter of a mile from the Rosetta gate. 
It is a beautiful column of one piece of red granite^ 
with a Corinthian capital, and a pedestal about ten 
feet high. I believe the whole column is about 
one hundred feet in height, and is really a very 
beautiful and impressive object. It formerly sup- 
ported the temple of Serapis ; and, according to 
an inscription lately discovered on it, was placed 
on its present site, and furnished with a capital, 
in honour of Diocletian. This inscription, said to 
be legible only in the strong light of the sun, was 
invisible to my eyes ; but other inscriptions, the 
work of some English sailors, are too legible at 
various elevations on the shaft, and add nothing 
to its beauty. 

Most unluckily, almost every boat on the canal 
has been seized for the transport of troops ; and 



LET. I.] 



DEPARTURE FOR ATFEE. 



7 



we have only succeeded, with some difficulty, in 
getting a very indifferent open boat to take us 
to Atfee, where we embark on the Nile. We 
shall arrive there, however, to-morrow morning, 
and hope to find a more commodious and com- 
fortable vessel to take us to Cairo. 



8 



JOURNEY TO CAIRO. 



[let. II. 



LETTER II. 

Passage on the Mahmoudi Canal — Atfee — Egyptian village — The 
river Nile, its importance to the Egyptians — Agriculture — 
Interior of a Sheich's house — Arrival at Cairo — Buildings, 
mosques, bazaars, and inhabitants of that city — The Egyptian 
ladies — Jews and Copts — Tolerant municipal sway of the Pacha 
— Mehemet Ali's palace and gardens — Hospitals — Madhouse 
— Slave-market — Egyptian magician — The Pyramids — The 
Sphynx — Projected Journey to Palestine by way of Petra — ■ 
Social condition of the Egyptians. 

Cairo, 28th January, 1839. 

My dear , 

I arrived here on the 23rd, after a very weari- 
some and uncomfortable journey, and am now in 
what is called an English hotel, kept by Mr. Hill, 
who has similar establishments at Alexandria and 
Suez. I find nothing very English about the 
house, except the bills, which are extravagantly 
high, and the passengers to Suez, who in bad 
dinners, khamseen winds, prickly heat, and fleas, 
have abundant opportunities of indulging their 
national privilege of grumbling. Would you be- 
lieve it I there is neither bottled porter nor 
Harvey's sauce in the house ! Such are the dread- 
ful privations of which I sometimes hear loud 
complaints. 



let. ii.] MAHMOUDI CANAL ATFEE. 9 

We embarked on the Mahmoudi Canal about 
six o'clock on the evening of the 16th. Our boat 
was very small, and had no cabin nor covering 
of any kind, and the night was bitterly cold. 
The excitement and novelty of my situation, how- 
ever, might have kept me awake at any rate ; and 
sailing through a perfectly flat country, under the 
banks of a canal, there was little to interrupt my 
thoughts in their wanderings onward or home- 
wards, except a passing boat now and then, and 
the wild chant with which the Arab boatmen 
cheer their labour. 

About six o'clock next morning we reached 
Atfee, where we found the same difficulty in 
procuring a boat as at Alexandria. Two parties 
who preceded us had got very comfortable boats 
by writing to Mr. Waghorn ; and on these the 
union jack fluttered conspicuously at the mast- 
head, while nearly all the others displayed the 
Pacha's red flag with the star and crescent. The 
place was full of soldiers in all the bustle of em- 
barkation, one or two boats were seized before 
our eyes, and there appeared some danger of 
our being left behind altogether. It was evidently 
no time for us to pick and choose, or be very 
nice about our accommodations ; and seeing one 
or two boats at some distance from the more 
crowded part of the bank, we hastened to them, 

b 3 



TO PROGRESS OF THE PASSAGE-BOAT, [let. n. 

and striking a hurried bargain with a reis, lost no 
time in getting our luggage and the few stores we 
had brought on board his vessel. 

Lazy and dilatory as the Arabs generally are, 
there was no time lost in getting our little bark 
under weigh. The reis was afraid that his vessel 
might be seized by the soldiers ; and, as we had 
been unable to procure a flag at Alexandria, we 
were not altogether without some apprehensions of 
the same kind. We were no sooner on board 
than the boatmen pushed out into the stream, 
and hoisting their immense sail, we were soon 
stemming the current at the rate of seven or eight 
miles an hour. 

With a fine breeze in our favour, we soon left 
the confusion and hubbub of Atfee behind; and 
the reis assured us that, if the wind continued 
fair, Inshallah ! we should reach Cairo in three 
days — a truly Delphic assurance — for although 
the wind continued to blow steadily from the 
same quarter, our course was changed by every 
bend of the river. Before two hours were over, 
the boatmen were obliged to land, and tow the 
boat against the stream. After toiling till ten 
o'clock at night, at the rate of scarcely one mile 
an hour, the boat was made fast to a stake 
driven into the bank, and we spent a most com- 
fortless night. 



LET. II.] 



AND ITS DISCOMFORTS. 



11 



Our boat was in rather a rickety condition. 
It had a sort of cuddy on the after-part* of the 
deck, into which we were obliged to creep on our 
hands and knees, and just large enough to admit 
of our sleeping side by side on the floor. Having 
no beds of any kind, we of course turned in " all 
standing, 1 ' and I found my great-coat and a large 
shaggy Greek capote a very insufficient protection 
against the cold night wind that whistled through 
a hundred openings in our miserable cabin. No 
sooner did daylight begin to decline than the cock- 
roaches came creeping out of every crevice, the 
fleas were most incessant and voracious in their 
attacks, and once or twice when I fell into a sort 
of doze, I was startled out of it by rats scampering 
over me. 

After four days' tedious and uncomfortable 
travelling, sometimes running a few miles under 
sail, and then towing for hours against the stream, 
now sauntering along the bank, and then taking 
shelter in the boat from heavy showers of rain ; 
once being nearly capsized by a sudden squall, and 
half-a-dozen times sticking on sand-banks in the 
middle of the river, we determined to abandon 
our boat, and find our way to Cairo with any ani- 
mals that could be procured. 

Next morning (the 21st) we walked to a village 
at a short distance from the river, in search of 



12 EGYPTIAN VILLAGE — EXACTIONS. [let.ii. 

camels or mules. It was, like all Egyptian 
villages, a poor place enough ; but had a mosque 
with a very lopsided dome and rickety white- 
washed minaret. We found a party of Arabs 
smoking under a rude awning of dirty mats and 
palm-leaves, in front of a coffee-house, to whom 
we made known the object of our visit ; but none 
of them seemed inclined to take any trouble in 
the matter. After a considerable loss of time, we 
found the Sheich el Ballad, or head man of the 
village, who promised to bring us three camels 
to carry our luggage ; but neither mule nor donkey 
was to be found. 

We had just got our baggage on shore, and 
were in the midst of a violent altercation with 
the reis, who, not contented with receiving his 
full fare for performing little more than half the 
voyage, insisted on an additional backsheesh, when 
down came all the camels, and all the men, 
women, and children of the village. In vain we 
told them we only wanted their camels; every 
one knew that, but every one was ready to go, 
and, Inshallah ! he would go ; they fought with 
one another to get hold of our luggage, and we 
with the whole party to keep possession of it : and 
after an intolerable delay, spluttering of Arabic, 
groaning and guggling of camels, and screaming 
of women and children, we at last succeeded in 



LET. II.] 



ASPECT OF THE COUNTRY. 



IS 



getting rid of all the party except three. No 
sooner were the camels loaded, however, than the 
fellows insisted on being paid before starting; and, 
in the midst of this new altercation, the reis most 
unadvisedly renewed his demand for backsheesh. 
This was too much for the patience of one of my 
companions, who fairly set-to and gave him a 
hearty drubbing ; a mode of settling the dispute 
which the camel-drivers appeared to approve highly, 
as they kept calling out "Tayeeb! tayeeb!"" — 
" That 's right ! that 's right \" all the time. This 
mode of settling with the reis seemed to produce 
a considerable effect on the cameleers, for we had 
no more demands of payment before starting; 
and, about eight o'clock, we got fairly under 
weigh, passing the burial-place of the village, a 
group of white graves under a clump of date trees. 

Our walk was less interesting than I expected. 
The country is quite flat, and presents no variety 
of landscape, though some of the villages, which 
are generally on a slight eminence, formed of the 
ruins of former buildings, have rather a pictu- 
resque appearance at a distance, with their 
white-washed minarets and groves of date-trees. 
But the illusion is dispelled on a nearer approach. 
They are all the same half-ruined -looking, flat- 
roofed cottages, built of sun-burnt bricks, or mud 
mixed with chopped straw. The people are poor, 



14 



THE RIVER NILE. 



[let. n . 



dirty, and ill-clad ; and every kind of abomina- 
tion lies scattered about the open spaces in and 
around the villages. 

By-the-by, I was under an impression that the 
straw which the children of Israel remonstrated 
against being deprived of, was used in burning 
the bricks. It is probable, however, that it was 
employed as at present. The clay is compacted 
together by being mixed with cut straw, and dried 
in the sun. 

The Egyptians depend on the Nile not only for 
the fertility, but the very existence of their country. 
In a course of 1350 miles, it does not receive a 
single tributary ; and were it not for the annual 
inundation, which first deposited, and continues 
to fertilise the soil, the green valley of Egypt 
would soon be overwhelmed by the sands of the 
desert. The country is intersected by numerous 
canals for the irrigation of those lands which are 
not reached by the annual flood. The labour of 
the fellah, as the cultivator is called, must be easy 
enough. The ground is scraped up, to the depth 
of a few inches, with a rude plough, drawn by a 
couple of bullocks, and differing very little in 
construction from those represented in the ancient 
Egyptian pictures ; and the seasons are so regular 
and invariable, that the fellah is never disturbed 
by those fears about the weather, which prove 



LET. II.] 



ARRIVAL AT A FERRY. 



15 



such a fruitful source of anxiety to our farmers 
at home. The most laborious part of his work is 
raising water from the canals, to irrigate the 
higher parts of the land. This is done by means 
of an engine called the shadoof, which you will find 
very accurately described in Mr. Lane's admirable 
work on modern Egypt. 

About five o'clock we again came to the Nile, 
at a ferry, where we found a party of Arabs, with 
eight or ten loaded camels, waiting to cross the 
river. W e embarked with the camels, two or 
three donkeys, and about a dozen men, in a large 
boat, in which we were so crowded that we had 
scarcely standing-room. The animals, fortunately, 
were very docile and quiet, otherwise we might 
have run some risk of a ducking ; for the camels 
knelt in the boat with their loads on, and any 
movement among them might have upset us in a 
moment. 

Our camel-drivers had either miscalculated the 
distance, or purposely deceived us ; for they had 
assured us that we should reach Cairo before 
sunset, and we now learned that we had still a 
distance of eight camel hours — about twenty-five 
miles — to travel. We determined, therefore, to 
proceed for a few hours longer, and sleep at one of 
the villages on our route, and to start at an early 
hour next morning. After dark, however, our 



16 



EGYPTIAN VILLAGE, 



[let. II. 



guides became very cautious of approaching the 
villages, which, they said, were full of " bad people, 
who would rob us and steal their camels and 
it was nearly eleven o'clock when we came in 
sight of a small town, at which they advised us to 
stop, as the sheich el Bellad was " a good man, and 
had a fine house, and would be glad to see us." 
Before we reached the village, our honest guides 
drove their camels into a field to eat the green 
corn, while they gathered a sufficient quantity to 
feed them during the night. 

On arriving at the village, we had some diffi- 
culty in protecting ourselves from a pack of half- 
starved wolfish-looking dogs, who seemed deter- 
mined to dispute our entrance ; and on coming 
to the sheich's house, we found the gate closed for 
the night, and the inmates either fast asleep, or 
determined not to hear our knocking. Finding 
a quiet civil sort of knock of no use, each of the 
camel-drivers seized a large stone, and beat such a 
summons on the wooden gate, as must have 
awakened everybody in the neighbourhood, and 
quickly produced a remonstrance from within, and 
a demand who we were, and what we wanted. 
After a tedious parley, the heavy wooden bolts 
were withdrawn, and we were admitted into a large 
court, having buildings on three sides, and on the 
fourth a high wall, and the gate by which we had 



let. II.] RECEPTION AND TREATMENT THERE. 17 

entered. A mare and colt were going loose in 
the court, and a large white camel was fastened 
near a stone trough in the middle ; the buildings 
were the same low flat-roofed cottages I have 
already described ; and the whole place appeared 
poor enough. The sheich, a quiet-looking, grey- 
bearded, old Arab, did not appear very well pleased 
at having been disturbed ; but he received us 
politely, saluted us after the Arab fashion, placing 
his hand on his forehead and then on his lips, 
bowing slightly, and conducted us to our apartment. 

The place to which we were conducted by our 
host appeared to be a separate building from 
that in which he and his household lived ; and con- 
sisted of a single apartment, about ten or twelve 
feet square, without any window, the light being 
admitted only by the door. The walls, which were 
composed of clay mixed with straw, were quite 
bare, and at one end of the apartment there was 
a raised bench of the same materials, called a 
mastabbah) about three feet high and four feet 
broad, covered with a mat. The moonlight shone 
through many openings in the roof of palm-leaves; 
and I soon discovered that the mat on which we 
were seated was literally swarming with fleas. I 
make it a rule to appear perfectly pleased and 
satisfied on such occasions ; for I believe nothing 
can be more mortifying to a poor man than to 



18 



A SHEICH^S HOUSE. 



[let. m 



have the poverty, or even the dirtiness, of his house 
noticed, when he is doing all in his power to appear 
hospitable ; and certainly nothing can be more 
ungracious on the part of those who are receiving 
his hospitality ; but I got a little impatient of our 
host's inquiries — who we were ? where we came 
from ? whither we were going ? why we travelled 
on foot, &c. ; and begged to represent that we 
were exceedingly hungry, and that anything in 
the shape of supper would be very acceptable. 

After waiting another weary half hour, a tray 
was set before us with a dish of eggs fried in oil, 
flaps of coarse bread, and a lump of hard salt curd, 
which was called cheese. As I was very hungry, 
and not quite so fastidious as my companions, I 
contrived to make a tolerably hearty meal ; and, 
having closed the door, and made our servant 
sleep inside the threshold, we stretched ourselves 
on the mat. The intolerable snoring of my two 
companions, the groaning and grunting of the 
camels outside, and the 46 industrious fleas," pre- 
vented my enjoying one moment's rest. At the 
first glimmering of dawn, I roused the whole 
party ; and, having taken leave of the sheich, who 
came to receive his backsheesh, we were once more 
on the road. 

There was a keen frosty feeling in the air, 
which was beautifully clear. The landscape 



LET. II.] 



ARRIVAL AT CAIRO. 



19 



around us was very similar to what we had seen 
the preceding day ; but, in the distance, appeared 
part of Gebel Mokuttam, and the Pyramids of 
Ghiseh. I did not break out into any enthusiastic 
raptures at the first sight of the Pyramids ; for 
indeed there was nothing at all impressive in their 
appearance. They looked rather diminutive ; but 
the clearness of the atmosphere deceived me as to 
their height and distance ; for although they 
seemed to be within three or four miles of us, we 
had a smart walk of five hours before we reached 
the Nile opposite to Bouiak. 

We had left the camels and luggage to be brought 
on by our servant ; and, having crossed the river 
to Bouiak, which is the port of Cairo on the Nile, 
we took donkeys and trotted on to the city. 

It w T as some days before I quite got rid of the 
excitement and whirl of ideas which one feels on 
arriving in a great city, where everything — climate, 
architecture, costume, language, manners — is so 
new and so strange. I had an odd feeling too 
that, somehow or other, the scene was not quite 
new; the buildings and people seemed to revive 
some forgotten impression, like the recollection of 
a dream ; and I could almost fancy that I recog- 
nised faces among the crowd of bearded and 
turbaned strangers around me. There was not the 
same mixture, as at Alexandria, of Frank dresses 



20 



CITY OF CAIRO, 



[let. II. 



with the Oriental costumes ; and although the 
natives do not stare at strangers, which rather 
surprised me, I did feel a little ashamed of my 
ungraceful and, in their eyes, indecorous costume. 

For the first two days I did nothing but ramble 
through the streets and bazaars. At the different 
mosques, and at every public fountain, I found a 
continually varying succession of living pictures ; 
every group conversing in the street — every old 
Turk seated cross-legged on the floor of his little 
shop — was a study : and I longed for our friend 
William Allan, or for a portion of his talent, that 
I might convey to you some more correct impres- 
sion of these tableaux than my meagre description 
can give. 

The streets in general are narrow and intricate, 
especially in the Jews' quarter, where some of 
the passages barely admit of two persons passing 
each other. The windows, with curiously carved 
wooden lattices, project so much on either side, as 
nearly to meet overhead, and exclude much of the 
light; and although this produces a useful and 
agreeable shade from the sun, it gives a sombre 
and dismal appearance to those streets which 
contain only dwelling-houses. In these streets 
very few passengers are seen ; but in the bazaars 
and great thoroughfares, there is a continual stream 
of Turks, Copts, Jews, Dervishes, and Bedaweens 



LRT. II.] 



ITS INHABITANTS. 



21 



from the !Desert, in their picturesque and graceful 
costumes. 

The Musreyeen, as the inhabitants call them- 
selves, are a good-looking race of men ; about the 
middle height, robust, and well-proportioned ; with 
fine open foreheads, and a half-smiling expression 
about the mouth, which is rather prepossessing. 
It is quite extraordinary how the poor little chil- 
dren that one sees, with meagre skinny limbs, 
and great distended abdomens, ever acquire the 
well-built muscular frame displayed by the young 
men. 

The number of blind men, or men blind of one 
eye, is by no means so great as one w^ould expect 
from the description given by some late travellers, 
but they are certainly numerous. Many suffer 
from ophthalmia and other diseases, and the 
practice of mothers extirpating the right eye of 
their male children, to unfit them for military 
service, has prevailed to a lamentable extent. 
The Pacha has tried many plans to put a stop to 
this shocking practice ; and has now, I am told, 
adopted the ingenious one of raising two regiments 
of one-eyed soldiers, so that the conscription can 
no longer be evaded by this mutilation. 

The dress of the women of the lower orders is 
simple enough, often consisting of no more than a 
loose chemise of blue cotton, with wide sleeves, 



22 



THE EGYPTIAN LADIES. 



[let. It. 



reaching a little below the knees, and open in 
front clown to the waist. The old women are 
horrid disgusting-looking creatures, 

(e Beldames wither'd, auld, and droll ; " 

but many of the young girls have very handsome 
figures; and from carrying their water-pitchers 
on their heads, they acquire an erect and graceful 
gait. 

Of the Egyptian ladies, you see little more than 
a huge mass of black silk and white muslin, 
shuffling along upon a pair of very wide yellow 
morocco boots. The dress, however, which they 
wear in the house is very rich and graceful. I 
have seen one which was presented to an English 
lady, who is here at present, by one of the pacha's 
daughters. I dare not attempt to describe the 
form of it, for of some parts I could hardly 
conjecture the use ; but it was principally com- 
posed of fine scarlet cloth, and crimson satin, 
and was profusely embroidered with gold. Ladies 
are seldom seen on foot in the streets ; but you 
occasionally meet a party of three or four mounted 
on asses, attended by their slaves, and preceded 
by a black eunuch, on their way to or from the 
bath, the great lounge of the Cairo gossips. 

The veil worn by the Egyptian women is a long 
narrow piece of white muslin, suspended by a gold 
ornament from the upper part of the forehead, 



LET. II.] 



PEOPLE OF CAIRO. 



23 



and covering the nose and the lower half of the 
face : the eyes and part of the forehead being 
exposed. Their eyes are almost invariably very 
beautiful : of a long almond shape, black and 
brilliant ; and their expression is considerably 
heightened by staining the eyelids with the black 
powder called kohl ; and, as the rest of the features 
are concealed , one is at liberty to supply every 
fine pair of eyes with as beautiful a set of features 
as one^s fancy can produce. 

February 2* 

The population of Cairo is about 220,000. Of 
these about 10,000 are Copts; between three and 
four thousand J ews ; and the rest, with the excep- 
tion of a few strangers from different countries, 
are Egyptian Mooslims. 

There is a difference between the Coptish coun- 
tenance and that of the Egyptian Mooslim, but it 
is scarcely perceptible to a stranger. The Copt 
is distinguished by a black or dark blue turban, or 
one of a grave drab colour. Their patriarch, 
although styled Patriarch of Alexandria, has his 
residence in Cairo, and is said to be very wealthy. 
He is chosen by lot from among the monks of the 
convent of St. Anthony. With the exception of 
a few who adhere to the Greek Church, they are 
of the sect called Jacobites, or Eutychians, from 



24 



TOLERANT GOVERNMENT. 



[let. II. 



Jacobus Baradseus, the great propagator of the 
Eutychian doctrines ; and are more bigoted, and 
more bitter in their hatred of Christians of every 
denomination, than even the Mooslims themselves. 
The Coptic is now a dead language ; and is only 
preserved in the religious books; the Arabic being 
spoken by the Copts, as by the Mooslims, and 
taught in their schools. 

The Jews inhabit the worst quarter of Cairo; 
a labyrinth of dark narrow lanes, in which it is 
hardly possible for two persons to pass. They are 
a miserable, sickly-looking race ; dirty and slovenly 
in their dress, with sore eyes, and bloated faces ; 
occasioned, it is said, by the grossness of their 
food, in which they use great quantities of oil. 

Under the government of Mehemet Ali, the 
Jews and Copts enjoy much greater tranquillity 
than formerly ; and, in fact, the equal protection 
afforded to all persons, of whatever religion, is one 
great cause of the unfavourable feeling with which 
the rigid Mooslims regard the present govern- 
ment. It is not many years since no Christian or 
Jew dared to ride in the city of Cairo ; and there 
were some of the mosques — El Azhar and El 
Khasaneyn— before which they were not permitted 
to pass ; but now, protection is not only extended 
to the Copt and Jew, but a Protestant mission has 
been established in Cairo, and the service of the 



LET. II.] 



NARROW STREETS. 



25 



Church of England is publicly performed every 
Sunday. The boys from the missionary school 
attend the public service in the chapel; and, I 
was told, that several of them were the children 
of Mooslim parents, who are induced to send them 
to the school that they may acquire the English 
language, which is becoming an important accom- 
plishment. Indeed there can be little doubt that 
the toleration of the Pacha's government has had 
a considerable effect in relaxing the bigotry of the 
mass of the population, and is undermining the 
foundations of Mahommedism. 

It is a matter of some difficulty, and even a 
little danger, for an inexperienced stranger to 
thread his way through this labyrinth of narrow 
and crowded streets ; for should his attention be 
attracted for a moment by some passing novelty, 
he runs a considerable risk of being ridden over 
or knocked down by the loaded camels, which 
sometimes meet one rather abruptly at a corner. 
It is true, he gets timely intimation of his danger ; 
but the exclamations of " Darak ya khoivaga ! — 
riglak! shemalak ! * " convey no more intelligible 
warning to his ear, than the confused hubbub of 
other sounds, by which he is at all times sur- 
rounded. 

The bazaars are the gayest and most amusing 

* Your back ! Oh ! Sir — your leg ! to the right ! 



26 



BAZAARS. 



[let. II. 



part of the city. The shop is a small apartment, 
or rather cell, the floor of which is raised about 
three feet above the footway, projecting a little 
way into the street, and is covered with a carpet 
and cushions, on which the shopkeeper sits. On 
making some purchases during the first few days 
after my arrival here, I was allowed to stand in 
the street while the shopkeeper showed his wares ; 
but I have been frequently accompanied, of late, 
by Khanafee Ismael, an Egyptian, who was edu- 
cated, and spent some years, in England; and 
on these occasions I have always been invited to 
seat myself on the carpet, while the shopkeeper 
hands me his pipe, and sends to the nearest coffee- 
shop for a small pot of coffee. 

Ismael is manager of one of the Pacha's manu- 
factories, and well known in the bazaars ; and, as 
he is a most obliging good-natured man, and 
speaks English perfectly well, he is a most useful 
acquaintance. I find, too, that we have many 
mutual friends in Scotland, which is, of course, a 
great bond of union between us. 

The bazaar appears to be the great place of 
gossip for the men, as the bath is for the ladies. 
Here the' merchants receive visits ; and it is 
customary to spend an hour, sometimes a whole 
afternoon, in one of their shops, chatting over the 
passing events and gossip of the day. 



LET. ii.] EGYPTIAN MANUFACTURES. 



27 



The Pacha's manufacturing speculations appear 
to be a complete failure : not that the articles 
made are very inferior in quality, but produced 
at an expense far above that at which they might 
be imported from England. I have seen a great 
deal of the cloth woven at the power-loom 
factory here. Both the spinning and weaving are 
bad ; and, notwithstanding the low price of labour, 
the cost of production is so great that the cloth 
can scarcely be sold in the bazaars, and is almost 
entirely used in clothing the soldiers. The climate 
is exceedingly unfavourable to the working of any 
fine machinery, as it is impossible to exclude the 
dust and fine sand. The machinery is quickly 
deteriorated by the increased and irregular friction ; 
and it is impossible to obtain that degree of moisture 
which is indispensable for many parts of the process 
of spinning and weaving. Nor is it possible to 
obtain, in a factory of this kind, the same sys- 
tematic niceness and economy of management as 
under the superintendence of the parties imme- 
diately interested in the profit to be realised. In 
fact, from the extensive competition which exists 
in England, great part of the manufacturers profit 
arises from his economy of management ; almost 
the only advantage he can gain over his com- 
petitors in trade, is the discovery of some method 
by which he may be able to reduce his cost of 



28 



EGYPTIAN MANUFACTURES. 



[let. II. 



production ; and it is probable that Mehemet Ali 
will before long discover that it is more profitable 
to export the whole of his cotton, and to receive 
manufactured goods from us. The whole system 
is a bad one for the country. The people will 
only improve in manufactures when they come to 
have a direct interest in them, and are stimulated 
by competition with each other. 

The same remarks apply to all the Pacha's 
speculations of this kind. Carpets, in imitation 
of the fabrics of England and France, are pro- 
duced at a price far above the value of those 
of Turkey and Persia ; and have, as yet, only 
been made for the Pacha himself ; as in fact 
they could not be sold in the bazaars. An 
engineer in the service of Ibrahim Pacha told me, 
that having to construct a small railroad at the 
coal-mines in Mount Libanus, the rails were sent 
from the government foundry at Boulak, charged 
at the rate of 40Z. per ton — about four times the 
price at which they might have been imported 
from England. 

Ibrahim Pacha has always seen the folly of 
these speculations, and has often remonstrated 
with his father on the subject ; and it is generally 
believed that his improvements will turn out more 
beneficial to the country, and more profitable to 
himself. I have seen a good deal of a countryman 



LET. II.] 



THE PACHA^S GARDENS. 



29 



of ours, from Jamaica, who is employed by Ibrahim 
in the superintendence of a large sugar-plantation 
on the Nile. He is a shrewd sensible man, and 
appears to augur well of the undertaking, which is 
more suitable to the country and climate than any 
of the old Pacha's schemes. Ibrahim has also 
cleared a large tract of land, between Cairo and 
the island of Roda, which a few years ago w T as 
covered with ruins and rubbish ; and it is now 
planted with two hundred thousand olive-trees, 
which will in a short time yield a considerable 
annual revenue. I have heard the profit calculated 
at a dollar per ton, or about 30,000/. per annum. 

The gardens at Roda are managed by two 
Scotchmen, Mr. Trail and Mr. M'Culloch, and 
are very extensive and beautiful. I cannot say 
that I take very great delight in " trim gardens/' 
and shall not attempt to describe them. I was 
pleased with the appearance of the young garden- 
ers, of whom upwards of two hundred are em- 
ployed. They are lodged, clothed, fed, and taught 
to read, and are allowed a dollar per month ; 
and their gay, clean dress, and healthy cheerful 
occupation, form a very agreeable contrast to 
the poverty and squalor of the common labouring 
Arabs. 

The gardens of Mehemet Ali at Shubra are 
aven more stiff, trim, and formal, than those of 



30 



MILITARY HOSPITALS 



[let. II. 



Roda, where somewhat of English taste has been 
introduced. There were at Shubra abundance of 
trellised arbours and marble fountains, and long 
walks paved with mosaic-work of black and white 
pebbles, and shaded from the sun by an arcade of 
luxuriant foliage. But the place appeared de- 
serted ; and solitude becomes a mere weariness 
amid so much art. Our footsteps echoed with a 
melancholy sound along the paved walks ; and the 
groups of gaily-dressed ladies, whose appearance 
you thought so incongruous amid the wild so- 
litudes of the Trossachs, were sadly wanted to 
enliven the gardens of Shubra. 

These gardens, as well as those at Roda, are 
intersected by numerous small canals. The prin- 
cipal ones are of hewn stone, but the subordinate 
branches are merely cut with the spade ; and from 
these the water is made to overflow, or diverted 
into new channels, by damming them up with the 
foot*. 

The establishment of military hospitals and 
schools of medicine is an improvement for which 
the country is much indebted to Mehemet Ali ; and 
it may be hoped that from these schools, which are 
said to be well conducted, public hospitals will 

* The land whither thou goest is not as the land of Egypt, 
where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot as a 
garden of herbs. — Deut. xi. 10. 



let. ii.] AND PUBLIC MADHOUSE. 31 

arise of a more general character. The only insti- 
tution of this kind is the public madhouse, and 
nothing can be worse than the system there pur- 
sued. The treatment of the patients in that 
asylum is such as no civilised being can witness 
without shuddering. Insanity is considered as an 
immediate visitation from Heaven ; and, where the 
sufferer is inoffensive, it often procures for him a 
superstitious reverence from the Mooslims ; but as 
the frantic and dangerous must be restrained, and 
as insanity is looked on as incurable, those who 
are unhappily in this condition are treated merely 
as dangerous animals. I never saw a more pain- 
ful or revolting spectacle than the madhouse of 
Cairo; and although it would be hardly just to 
censure the government too severely for a state of 
things which, not very many years ago, prevailed 
in our own country, it will reflect little credit on 
the European physicians who have access to the 
Pacha, if something be not done to ameliorate the 
condition of these unhappy lunatics. 

This madhouse forms a part of a mosque, but 
my attention was so occupied with the wretched 
inmates, and I left the place with such feelings of 
disgust, that I took little note of the building. 

I was shown into a spacious and lofty stone 
hall, having a row of cells, or rather dens, on 
each side, with strong iron gratings in front. 



32 



PUBLIC MADHOUSE. 



[let. 11* 



Each of these dens contained a creature, more 
like a wild beast than a human being, secured 
by an iron chain, one end of which was at- 
tached to a collar round his neck, and the other 
fastened into the wall on the outside of the 
grating. As soon as we entered, half-a-dozen 
hands, each holding an empty pipe, were thrust 
through the gratings ; and we were assailed with 
petitions for tobacco, in every variety of implor- 
ing whine, insolent demand, and downright im- 
precation. They are allowed to smoke, because 
being surrounded, and separated, by stone and 
iron, although they may set fire to their straw 
and clothes, they cannot set fire to the house. 
When I saw one frantic creature^ half naked, 
his head and beard unshaven and matted with 
dirt, sitting on his heels, grinning horribly, and 
shaking the iron bars with both his hands, I 
could scarcely believe that I was looking at a 
human being. There is no medical attendance, 
because it is considered useless ; and the place 
is in every respect like a collection of wild beasts, 
except that I never saw any menagerie where 
the animals were so unspeakably filthy, or had 
so little freedom of motion. I assure you it 
was some time before my nerves recovered from 
the shock, and the horrid sounds were ringing in 
my ears the whole evening. 



ILST. II.] 



THE PACHA^ PALACE. 



In the slave-market I saw nothing to excite 
any painful feeling, in so far as the physical 
condition of the slaves is concerned. The black 
slaves, boys and girls, from perhaps ten or twelve 
to fifteen or sixteen years of age, all appeared very 
healthy, and quite cheerful. They were all anxious 
to be sold, and thrust out their tongues to show 
their good health. Indeed, domestic slaves are 
very well treated and taken care of. They are 
generally purchased young, and seldom resold, 
unless for some serious misconduct. 

The black slaves are kept in apartments on 
the ground floor of the khan in which the market 
is held ; and in a gallery above, are the rooms in 
which the Abyssinian and Circassian women are 
kept secluded from the public gaze; and where 
Franks are rarely admitted. Those Abyssinian 
girls whom I saw, had regular and rather pretty 
features, and might have been considered beau- 
tiful, in spite of their copper complexion. Their 
forms were delicate and graceful, and there was 
an expression of thoughtful melancholy on their 
countenances, which may have arisen from some 
feeling of their degraded condition ; but I rather 
think it is a national characteristic. 

The palace of Mehemet Ali is at the citadel, 
which occupies a commanding position over- 
looking the town. It contains nothing very worthy 

c 3 



34 



EGYPTIAN MAGICIAN, 



[let. ju 



of remark, except one or two fine apartments, 
sadly disfigured by the bad taste of their decora- 
tions, which are in the worst style of modern 
French house-painting. The view, however, is 
very fine. Below lies the great city, with its 
majestic domes, and hundreds of graceful mina- 
rets ; and from this height you see that, instead 
of being one confused maze of narrow streets, 
Cairo contains many gardens, and open spaces ; 
some of which become lakes during the inunda- 
tion. Beyond the city, the Nile is seen winding 
majestically through its green and fertile vale ; a 
little to the left, slumbering amid the silence of 
the Desert, lie the sepulchres of the khaleefs ; and 
westward the Pyramids of Ghizeh rear their giant 
heads into the blue unclouded sky. 

Mehemet Ali is building a mosque in the citadel, 
on the site, and partly from the materials, of the 
palace of Saladun. It is to contain a mausoleum, 
in which he will be buried ; he fears, perhaps, that, 
" after life's fitful fever," he may not sleep well in 
his sepulchre among the Memlook Beys. 

I have made several unsuccessful attempts to 
see the famous magician, whose performances have 
astonished and puzzled so many English visitors 
to Cairo ; but he has shut himself up under pre- 
tence of being engaged in some mysterious course 
of study and meditation ; and no persuasion will 



LET. II.] 



THE PYRAMIDS. 



35 



induce him to hold any intercourse with us in- 
fidels. I suspect he will turn out to be no great 
conjuror after all. It appears that the person 
who first introduced him to English travellers 
was one Osman, a renegade Scotchman, and at 
one time, I believe, dragoman to the English 
consulate. At his house travellers generally lodged 
before the establishment of the present hotel ; and 
he acted as interpreter at these magical exhibi- 
tions. From his knowledge of English costume 
and manners, and probably from his acquaint- 
ance with the personal appearance of some of our 
public men, he was, to say the least, well qualified 
to act as confederate with the Sheich Abd 1 el 
Kader, the magician. 

It is rather a suspicious circumstance that, after 
the death of Osman, which took place about a 
year ago, the sheich began to blunder most egre- 
giously ; he then became more unwilling to ex- 
hibit ; and now refuses to visit the English who 
are here on any terms. 

I think I said already that I felt none of those 
enthusiastic raptures, in which travellers some- 
times indulge, at the first sight of the Pyramids. 
As you approach them, however, their vastness 
and the grand simplicity of their form produce an 
effect on the mind, which becomes more impressive 
the longer you remain in their neighbourhood. 



36 



ASCENT OF THE 



[let. ii» 



It was with a certain feeling of awe that I looked 
upward from the base of the great pyramid of 
Cheops, and not with a perfectly composed mind 
that I began the ascent ; and yet there is neither 
difficulty nor danger in the enterprise to a person 
of tolerably firm nerves. I would not advise any 
one to attempt it, however, who has any tendency 
to that feeling of giddiness with which some 
people are affected on looking down from a height. 
One gentleman who was with me became nervous 
and alarmed, after getting over about a fourth of 
the ascent ; and coming down again appeared to 
be a much more difficult and perilous affair with 
him than going up. 

I did take the precaution of having two Arabs, 
of whom a great many came to offer their services, 
to assist me in the ascent ; but I found afterwards 
that I might have done quite well without them, 
except that their assistance somewhat lessened 
the fatigue. It is hard work, for the steps are 
from three to four feet in height ; and I was fain 
to stop once or twice by the way to take breath. 

The summit which, from a distance, appears 
to taper to a point, is a platform of about twenty 
feet square, with a broken irregular surface, as 
if the pyramid had been left unfinished. The 
view from the top is very extensive, and presents 
a singular and impressive scene : on one hand, the 



LET. II.] 



GREAT PYRAMID. 



37 



Libyan Desert stretching away, waste over waste, 
herbless and lifeless, as far as the eye can reach ; 
on the other, the green valley of Egypt, with its 
magnificent river, and villages, and groves of date- 
trees ; to the south are seen the pyramids of 
Saccara and Dashour ; and the Sphinx raises her 
head above the sands below. 

This is one of the places which one ought to 
visit alone, to enjoy the full influence of the scene 
undisturbed. I went with three young English- 
men, officers on leave of absence from Corfu. One 
object of great importance with them was, to 
ascend in the shortest possible time to the summit, 
and, having arrived there, to bet on their agility 
in descending again. Their elevation above the 
rest of the world seemed to put them in very high 
spirits ; and I felt a little nervous when I thought 
of the possibility of a fall from our airy little plat- 
form ; for, although I felt perfectly confident of 
my own safety, I could not divest my mind of the 
feeling that my companions were occasionally in 
danger. There is something very exciting, exhi- 
larating to the spirits, in standing on a little un- 
protected piece of pavement, at this height of 480 
feet above the earth. You feel an extraordinary 
buoyancy and lightness of spirit, as if you could 
really float away, self-poised, into the surrounding 
air ; and, although I felt no inclination to try the 



38 



INTERIOR OF THE 



[let. m 



experiment, which some very nervous persons are 
said to experience, I can easily imagine the idea 
taking such firm possession of the mind that the 
temptation might at last become irresistible. 

I was the last of the party to leave the summit, 
and at the first difficult point in the descent, where 
the stone on which I stood was about eighteen 
inches broad, and the next step about four feet 
deep, my two Arabs suddenly withdrew their 
assistance, and gave me to understand that, unless 
I chose to pay them a handsome baksheesh then 
and there, I might make up my mind to sit where 
I was, " like Patience on a monument," or to get 
down the best way I could. These continual im- 
portunities for " baksheesh ! baksheesh ! " are at all 
times most annoying and irritating; but in the 
present instance it was intolerable, and I felt a 
great inclination to kick the fellows " down stairs." 
I contented myself, however, with telling them to 
go, and began to scramble down alone, which they 
no sooner saw than they returned to their duty ; 
very wisely calculating, I suppose, that their chance 
of any baksheesh would depend on my reaching the 
ground in safety. 

So many descriptions and plans of the interior 
of this pyramid have already been published, that 
I rather refer you to them, if you are curious on 
the subject, than attempt to describe it myself. 



LET. II.] 



GREAT PYRAMID. 



39 



To tell the truth, I could give you no intelligible 
description, without referring to these published 
accounts ; and I question much if nine-tenths of 
the travellers who visit the pyramid of Cheops 
know much more of the plan of the interior than 
they did before entering it. But it is something 
to say that you have been in the interior of the 
great pyramid ; and those who are too scrupulous 
to adopt the advice of old Sheridan, must, of 
course, do it> if they mean to say it. 

The entrance is at the sixteenth step, on the 
northern face. Having provided myself with a 
candle, I entered the dark narrow passage, which 
inclines downwards, at an angle of 27° for 260 feet, 
and terminates at a large hall, excavated in the 
rock, and under the centre of the pyramid. From 
this hall I ascended by a similar passage to what is 
called the Grand Gallery, then to another hall called 
the Queen's, and then to a third called the King's 
Chamber, in which the sarcophagus stands. I could 
see and wonder at the immense blocks of granite 
with which these chambers are constructed ; and 
wuld feel that the passages were lined with finely 
polished slabs of the same material, so smooth and 
slippery as to render one's progress through them 
difficult; but, with the faint light of two small 
candles, which could only illuminate a few square 
yards of any part at a time, and without any 



40 



ORIGIN OF THE PYRAMIDS. 



[let. H. 



instruments for measuring or indicating the direc- 
tion of the passages, I could, of course, form a very 
imperfect idea of the plan. 

When I tell you, that the solid contents of this 
pyramid have been estimated at seventy millions 
of cubic feet, you may imagine how small a pro- 
portion the chambers and passages already dis- 
covered bear to the whole mass. 

As to the puzzling questions, When ? By whom 
were the pyramids built ? — that is " too hard a 
knot for me to untie," and I dare say you do not 
expect me to attempt the solution of it. Lord 
Lindsay would date their erection before the days 
of Abraham ; but I do not think his argument 
very conclusive. 

There is good reason for believing that they are 
not native Egyptian structures, but the work of 
those nomade tribes known in history as the shep- 
herd kings. They are not found in the Thebais, 
but only in those districts which were subjugated 
by these royal shepherds ; and they contain none 
of those elaborate paintings, and sculptures, and 
hieroglyphic inscriptions, which distinguish the 
Egyptian temples and royal sepulchres. It is true 
that the shepherd-kings were expelled before the 
administration of Joseph, who rose to so distin- 
guished a place in the management of public 
affairs, under a monarch of the restored Egyptian 



LET. II.] 



THE SPHYNX. 



41 



dynasty ; but the country was subjected to another 
incursion of the nomade shepherds, who again 
established themselves in Lower Egypt, after the 
death of Joseph, and forced the native monarch 
to retire to the Thebais, whither he was followed 
by the priests and a portion of the people. Then 
arose that " other king, who knew not Joseph," 
and under whom the children of Israel suffered 
that hard bondage recorded in the sacred history. 

Admitting, therefore, that Lord Lindsay is cor - 
rect in attributing the erection of the pyramids to 
the shepherd-kings, it still remains to be proved, 
whether they were built during their first or second 
possession of the country ; and it is just as pos- 
sible that the children of Israel may have been 
employed in their construction, during that bitter 
servitude, when they were made to " labour in 
brick and in mortar, and in all manner of work in 
the field and when they " built for Pharaoh 
treasure-cities, Pithom andRaamses as that they 
existed in the time of Abraham. 

I must confess, that any probability 6f the chil- 
dren of Israel having laboured in rearing these 
mysterious structures, would invest them with a 
deeper interest in my eyes than their mere anti- 
quity could awaken. 

The sphinx is, I think, a very impressive object; 
and, although the features are mutilated and 



42 



ARRANGEMENTS FOR 



[let. II. 



weather-beaten, it is still a very expressive coun- 
tenance, and no mean evidence of the state of the 
arts at the time it was executed. The expression 
is calm, dignified, and very pleasing ; and I think 
it is scarcely possible to look at so gigantic a 
human countenance, amid the silence and wild 
solitude of the desert, without some feeling of awe. 
The excavations made at different times around it 
have long since been filled up by the sand ; and 
the large tomb discovered by Colonel Vyse will 
soon be submerged also. I could not descend into 
it, as the ropes and ladders have either been pur- 
posely removed, or stolen by the Arabs. 

I have been so fortunate as to meet with Mr. 
David Roberts, with many of whose works you 
are well acquainted. He returned two or three 
months ago from Upper Egypt, with a splendid 
collection of drawings, which it would delight your 
eyes to look over ; and he is now preparing to 
travel, by way of Mount Sinai and Petra, into 
Palestine. He will be accompanied by Mr. Pell, 
whom you may remember as one of Lord Lindsay's 
party to Palmyra, and Khanafee Ismael, whom I 
mentioned in my last letter. 

I have been invited to join this party ; and, 
although I had no intention when I left home of 
undertaking such a journey as this, I have agreed 
to accompany them. Petra is an object of very 



LET. II.] 



A JOURNEY TO PALESTINE. 



43 



great interest ; the party is a very agreeable one, 
and all the circumstances are more than usually 
advantageous. Mr. Roberts and Mr. Pell are both 
experienced travellers in the East ; and Ismael, 
from his accurate knowledge of the English and 
Arabic languages, and his acquaintance with the 
manners of the Arabs, will prove a most useful 
companion. As for the dangers of a journey 
through the deserts of Arabia-Petrsea, I make a 
considerable deduction from the actual perils of 
the way, on the score of travellers'' tales ; and for 
the fatigue and privations we are likely to encoun- 
ter, I believe I am able to endure all that others 
have endured before me. The danger to be appre- 
hended from the Fellaheen of Wady Mousa has, in 
all probability, been exaggerated ; for it is the inte- 
rest of the Alloeen sheich, who has conducted travel- 
lers to Petra, to magnify the danger as much as pos- 
sible, for the purpose of enhancing the value of his 
own services and protection. It is true that neither 
Mr. Stephens nor Lord Lindsay was allowed to 
stay more than a day in the valley of Petra : but 
as they were hurried away by the Alloeens, and 
never saw any of the Fellahs, we do not know 
whether these modern Edomites may not be as 
open to negotiation as the Bedaween tribes around 
them. At all events, we shall probably have 
an opportunity of trying the experiment, as 



44 SOCIAL CONDITION OF [let. h. 

we are resolved to remain some days in Petra if 
possible. 

The sheich of the Owlad Sayd, the most con- 
siderable of the T orate, or Sinaite tribes, is ex- 
pected here every day, with a party to guide and 
escort us as far as Akaba, at the head of the 
eastern gulf, where we expect to find the Alloeens. 

bth February. 

Since the arrival of our Bedaween friends, I 
have become as impatient as they are to leave this 
place. Without a thorough acquaintance with the 
language it is impossible, and, even with that ad- 
vantage, it is difficult to see much of the people. 
The state of public morals is very low, and cannot 
be otherwise, under the sensual and degrading in- 
fluence of Mahommedism. The people may com- 
plain of the oppression of the government, but a 
vile spirit of tyranny, every man over his inferior, 
appears to pervade all classes. Servants are 
kicked and cuffed by their masters, labourers by 
their employers, and donkey-boys by everybody. 
I have seen a tradesman bastinado his apprentice 
on the soles of his feet with a bamboo, in a way 
that made my flesh creep. The poor boy screamed 
most piteously; but the other lads in the shop 
continued their work quite unconcerned, and people 
passing by scarcely turned their heads to see what 



LET. II.] 



THE EGYPTIANS. 



45 



was the matter. I am sorry to say, that English- 
men are too ready to use the stick on very slight 
provocation ; and I have been told, again and 
again, that there is no other way of managing an 
Arab ; and that if I do not beat my servant now 
and then, he will soon be of no use to me. I have 
no faith in this, but believe that kind treatment 
will be returned by good service here as elsewhere ; 
and, at all events, I shall try the experiment. I 
often wish that the knaves would retaliate, and 
strike again like men ; but they are an abject, de- 
graded race, and crouch like spaniels under the rod. 

The household slave, although he may receive 
an occasional box on the ear ? or a cut over the 
shoulders with the koorbadj^ is generally well 
treated. His master has too direct an interest in 
his health to treat him very ill, and his duties are 
not more laborious than those of a domestic servant 
ought to be. Indeed I have seen slaves who 
appeared to have little else to do than to fill their 
masters pipe, and present it to him or his visitors. 
The sais, or groom, seems to have pretty hard 
work, as he has not only to attend to his horses in 
the stable, but to run alongside of his master when 
he rides out ; and at whatever rate the effendee 
may choose to ride, the sais must either keep up 
with him, or contrive to overtake him when he 
slackens his pace. 



46 



INCIDENT OF CAPTAIN L- 



[let. ir. 



The black eunuchs in the service of persons of 
distinction, are the most intolerable, insolent 9 swag- 
gering puppies you ever saw. They are always 
handsomely dressed; and, in the streets, they 
" keep the cantle o' the causeway," and care no 
more for an English khowaga than for a water- 
carrier or a donkey-boy. 

Two days ago, as Captain L was walking 

slowly towards the hotel, he was overtaken by the 
carriage of Abbas Pacha, the governor ; an old- 
fashioned French chariot, drawn by four horses, 
driven by an Arab coachman, with two or three 
Arab footmen sticking on behind, and a dozen or 
two running on foot on each side— altogether a 
very odd -looking turn-out. On this occasion it 
contained some of the ladies of the governors 
family, and was preceded by a black eunuch, who, 
thinking that the giaour did not move quickly 
enough out of the way, gave him a smart cut across 
the shoulders with his koorbadj *. But, alas ! for 
poor blackie, the Englishman possessed a weapon 
of the power of which an Oriental has no idea. 
The Captain's fists hit right and left on the Nu- 
bian's head and chest, in a shower of blows, from 
which he in vain attempted to defend himself with 
his whip ; and he received a pretty severe punish- 
ment before the crowd began to collect, and the 

. L 

* A whip made of hippopotamus hide. 



LET. II.] 



THE ARAB ESCORT. 



47 



Captain thought it prudent to retreat into the 
hotel. Having taken the punishment of the per- 
sonal insult into his own hands, he went to the 
consulate and desired that an apology for the 
national insult should be demanded from the 
governor himself ; and, in reply to the message of 

the consul, his excellency said that if Captain L 

would come to the Serai next day, and point out 
the offender, he should be bastinadoed until the 
Captain, and any friend he might bring with him, 
were satisfied. Next day, accordingly, the party 
proceeded to the house of Abbas Pacha ; the 
servants were paraded before them, and the 
aggressor identified ; but, however severely our 
countryman might have punished him on the spot, 
and in the irritation of the moment, he had too 
much good feeling to stand by and see him beaten 
during his pleasure. After the first two or three 
blows with the stick his feelings relented, and he 
declared himself satisfied. 

The sheich, and fifteen Bedaweens of the Owlad 
Sayd, arrived here to-day, and are bivouacked in 
the court of Mr. Pell's house. I am very much 
pleased with their appearance. They are fine, 
erect, straight-limbed men, with pleasing features, 
and an expression of frank good-humour in their 
animated countenances, which has quite w r on my 
confidence. Their costume is somewhat wild and 



48 



THE SHEICH HUSSEIN. 



[let. II. 



salvage, as Dugald Dalgetty calls it, but certainly 
the most picturesque I have yet seen. It consists 
of a coarse white shirt, with loose sleeves, reaching 
to the knee, and gathered round the waist by a 
leathern girdle ; over this is worn the abbek, a 
large mantle of woollen stuff, striped in broad 
alternate bands of brown and white. Their legs 
and feet are naked, but the sheich and one or two 
of the men wear sandals of fish-skin. The head- 
dress is a kerchief of red, green, and yellow striped 
cotton, having the fringe twisted into a number of 
long tassels. It is folded diagonally and thrown 
over the head, leaving one corner hanging down 
behind, and the other two falling in fine picturesque 
folds over the neck and shoulders. A twisted 
fillet of dark-coloured worsted is wound about the 
head, over the keffieh, as this head-gear is called. 
They are all armed with a broad crooked knife, 
about eighteen inches long, a formidable-looking 
weapon, and very antique-looking matchlock guns, 
ornamented with shells and pieces of mother-of- 
pearl 

Sheich Hussein is a fine-looking old man, and 
very courteous in his manners. He was once 
renowned as a warrior and hunter ; and, although 
time has grizzled his beard, and tamed a little his 
fiery spirit, his eye has lost none of its brightness ; 
and there is an independent bearing about him 



LET. II.] 



THE ESCORT. 



49 



which shows that he is still able, if need were, to 
lead his tribe to battle among the fastnesses of his 
native Desert. 

The whole party are impatient to start, and 
appear, like honest Hobbie Elliot, to have a great 
dislike to stay among c< ranks o" stane houses," and 
a sovereign contempt for all who dwell in them. 
We are as anxious to be off as they are ; but our 
letters from Abbas Pacha to the Governor of 
Akaba have not arrived from the citadel, and we 
are very unwillingly detained another day. 

It is impossible to say what opportunities I 
may have of writing on the journey ; but I shall 
not neglect any that do occur. It is possible, 
however, that I may find no means of despatching 
a letter until my arrival in Syria ; so that you 
need not be surprised if you receive none for a 
couple of months. You shall then have my journal 
up to the day when I write. 

We shall all wear the Arab costume, both on 
account of its superior comfort and convenience 
in travelling, and because Sheich Hussein de- 
clares that the Frank dress is an abomination in 
the eyes of the Bedaween. 



D 



50 DEPARTURE FROM CAIRO. [ LET . m. 



LETTER III. 

Commencement of journey across the Desert — Deceptio visus — 
Suez — Ruins of Serabat el Chadem — Valley : panic of its in- 
habitants — Mounts Sinai and Horeb — Convent and monks — 
Approach to the Red Sea — Arrival at Akaba — Change of 
escort. 

Akaba, 1 March 1899. 

My dear , 

We arrived here on the 27th ultimo, all in 
good health and spirits; and as Sheieh Hussein, 
the Beni Sayd, returns directly to Cairo, I entrust 
this letter to him. He promises to deliver it at 
the Consulate, and I hope it will reach you in 
due time. 

We left Cairo on the 7th February. Mr. Ro- 
berts and I started together, from his house, about 
three o'clock in the afternoon, and were first at 
our place of rendezvous outside the Bab-en-Nasr 
gate. I wish Sir David, or Allan, had been there 
to see. We would have made a good subject 
for them.- 

A little way beyond the gate there is an old 
cemetery, with a half-ruined mosque, and domes 
and minarets, fast mouldering away under the 



EET. III.] 



A DROMEDARY. 



51 



influence of time and the sand drifts from the 
Desert. Here, in front of the tombs, sat our 
Bedaween guides, their long matchlock guns rest- 
ing across their knees, and maintaining a most 
exemplary gravity and silence. Near them lay 
the baggage camels, loaded with our tent, water- 
skins, luggage, &c. ; and at a little distance stood 
Salem and Sayd, our Arab servants, holding our 
saddled dromedaries ; while Roberts and I, seated 
on the corner of a ruined inclosure, were sur- 
rounded by a crowd of shrill-voiced little Arabs 
begging for baksheesh. 

At length a crowd of ragged boys issuing from 
the gate announced the approach of Mr. PelFs 
division of the party ; and we at last started, with 
some reasonable hope that no further delay would 
occur. We had scarcely passed the cemetery, 
however, when an accident happened which might 
have been attended with very serious consequences, 
and delayed our journey most unpleasantly. 

One of our Cairo acquaintances had ridden thus 
far to see us off ; and, at taking leave, and at- 
tempting to shake hands with Mr. Roberts, his 
dromedary got frightened by the horse, bolted 
off, and began to plunge in a violent and rather 
alarming manner. It would puzzle a good horse- 
man to keep his seat on one of these brutes when 
they get restive ; and I expected every moment 

d2 



52 



THE DESERT. 



[let. nr. 



to see our friend pitched among the broken walls 
and loose stones, where he could hardly have 
escaped some serious injury. In the midst of his 
violent exertions the girth broke, and saddle and 
rider came to the ground, fortunately, on a piece 
of clear sand. He got a severe shake, however, 
and narrowly escaped a kick from the vicious 
brute after he was down. 

Another dromedary was procured for Mr. Ro- 
berts ; and, with all these delays, we had made but 
a short day's journey, when we encamped for the 
night under the low barren hills at the entrance 
of the Desert of Suez. 

I cannot say that I slept very comfortably this 
first night in our tent. I have brought a segaddeh, 
a small prayer carpet, which serves me as a bed 
by night, a saddle all the day ; and besides the 
hardness of my couch, it was bitterly cold ; and I 
began to envy my friend Roberts a little the 
comfortable mattress, blankets, sheets, and pil- 
lows with which he had provided himself. I have 
now got quite accustomed to it, and feel very 
independent of the luxury of a regular bed. 

On the morning of the 8th we found some new 
arrangements to make in the distribution of the 
baggage among the camels ; and it was seven 
o'clock before we got everything shaken into its 
right place, and had started again on our journey. 



LET. III.] 



DECEPTIO VISUS. 



53 



The morning was cold and rather cloudy ; and 
the barren red rocks, and wide expanse of cold 
grey sand and gravel, offered but a cheerless and 
dispiriting prospect. Skeletons, and half-consumed 
bodies, of camels began to mark the regular route 
of the large caravans ; and here and there we 
passed small cairns of stones, scarcely covering the 
bones of those pilgrims who had sunk under sick- 
ness or the fatigue of the journey. 

In the evening we encamped in a sandy hollow, 
where there was some appearance of vegetable life 
— low prickly shrubs and tufts of arid grass, on 
which the camels were turned loose to feed. 

Next morning (9th), as Mr. Roberts and I 
were riding together, a little ahead of the party, 
our attention was suddenly arrested by a singular 
phenomenon, which you have often heard de- 
scribed, but which I scarcely expected so soon to 
witness. 

Between us and the southern range of barren 
hills, and apparently three or four miles to the 
east, lay a beautiful lake, with the trees, on its 
banks and on a small island, distinctly reflected 
in its clear and placid waters. It continued for 
nearly an hour, without any greater alteration than 
might have arisen from our change of place as we 
rode forward, when it gradually became less de- 
fined, and at last vanished altogether, leaving only 



54 



A LAND-STORM 



[let. III. 



a thin grey vapour floating over the place where 
it had appeared. 

Heavy dark clouds had been gathering all the 
forenoon above the western horizon, and before 
two o'clock had gradually overspread the whole 
sky up to the zenith. The air was perfectly still 
and motionless, and everything portended a storm. 
Our Bed a weens, however, thought otherwise ; and, 
when we proposed to pitch the tents, assured us 
that there would be no storm — Inshallah ! not a 
drop of rain, that there never was rain at this 
season. But the Arabs are not accustomed to 
sudden changes of weather. The seasons are so 
regular and uniform, that they are not led to watch 
the appearance of the sky and clouds, like the 
shepherds in our variable climate ; and in the 
present case, they were quite out in their reckoning. 

One or two bright streaks of lightning shooting 
across the black mass of clouds, and a distant 
peal or two of thunder, warned us that there was 
no time to be lost, and we ordered the tents to be 
pitched. We were just too late. A cold, dismal 
wind came sughing over the Desert, and soon in- 
creased to such a breeze, that the tents could not 
be got up without great difficulty; a few large 
heavy drops fell, and were sucked up by the arid 
ground ; and in a minute the storm burst upon us 
in the most tremendous rain, thunder and lightning, 
I ever witnessed. 



LET. HI.] 



IN THE DESERT. 



55 



Everything was in confusion. It blew a gale of 
wind, and, the tents not half secured, were napping 
about as if they would have been carried away 
altogether. To add to the comfort of our situation, 
we had all the work to do ; for the Arabs seemed 
so taken by surprise, and suffered so much from 
the cold, that they were nearly useless to us. 
After holding on by the wet canvas till our hands 
were benumbed, and we were thoroughly drenched, 
the tent was at last secured ; and when we had 
lighted a charcoal fire to dry and warm ourselves, 
the Bedaweens came creeping in beside us, shiver- 
ing and rattling their teeth as if they had had the 
ague. 

The rain continued unabated for two hours, 
when the sky gradually cleared up, and we had a 
■ beautiful evening ; but from the quantity of rain 
that had fallen, we had some difficulty in getting 
a fire kindled to cook our dinner. 

When I looked out after the storm, the rain was 
running in a thousand little rills all around, glanc- 
ing in the moonlight, and settling in large pools in 
the hollows. 

During the night the Desert had drunk up this 
plentiful supply of moisture, and the effects of the 
storm were only visible next morning in the 
numerous little channels made by the rain. One 
of the camels was unable to proceed, and died in 



56 



SUEZ— ADJEROUD. 



[let. III. 



the course of the day, and we lost a couple of live 
fowls on which we were dependent for a dinner. It 
was necessary therefore that we should reach Suez 
as quickly as possible ; and, after a ride of nine 
hours, we passed Adjeroud, a little to the north ; 
and pushing on, arrived at Suez at five o'clock, 
having left the Bedaweens, with our tents and 
luggage, beside a ruined khan about a mile from 
the town. 

We found the inn full of passengers from the 
Bombay steamer ; but Mr. Hill very politely 
offered us his only unoccupied apartment, and 
provided us with an excellent dinner, and we slept 
very comfortably on the deewans round the room. 

We were detained a few hours next morning to 
repair one of the tents, and to provide the neces- 
sary stores for our journey to Mount Sinai. 

Adjeroud, which we passed yesterday a few 
miles to the north of Suez, is one of the fortresses 
at which stores are kept for the Hadgg caravan. 
It is supposed to be " Etham, on the verge of the 
wilderness," where the Israelites encamped when 
they had gone three days' journey out of Egypt. 
The situation, and the distance from the Nile, 
agree pretty well with the narrative of the Exodus ; 
and, indeed, Adjeroud is now the third stage of 
the pilgrim caravan ; but there is great difficulty 
in fixing this point, for the Gulf of Suez has un- 



let. in.] PASSAGE OF THE ISRAELITES. 



57 



doubtedly extended farther north than at present. 
The local traditions are uncertain and conflicting ; 
many places claim the honour of being the scene 
of each remarkable incident in the history of 
Israel's deliverance ; and the names of places men- 
tioned in the sacred narrative are now unknown 
in the country. 

The most prevalent tradition fixes the mira- 
culous passage of the Red Sea at Has Ataka, a 
promontory extending into the gulf about fifteen 
miles below Suez ; and, without pretending to a 
decided opinion on a question which cannot be de- 
termined with any certainty, my impression is, 
that though the Israelites may have crossed lower 
down, they could hardly have done so higher up 
the gulf than this point. 

You may recollect, that what the children of 
Israel demanded of Pharaoh was, that they might 
go " three days' journey into the wilderness to 
offer sacrifices ; " and it was only when they began 
to move from their encampment at Etham, and 
when " it was told the king of Egypt that the 
people fled," that he determined to pursue them. 
He " overtook them encamping by the sea, beside 
Pi-hahiroth, before Baal-zephon," a singularly diffi- 
cult and perilous position, which they had been 
expressly commanded to occupy, for the purpose 
of inducing Pharaoh to follow them ; " for Pharaoh 

d 3 



58 



PASSAGE OF THE ISRAELITES 



[let- III. 



will say of the children of Israel, they are entangled 
in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in." 

The word Pi-hahiroth signifies " the entrance 
of the valley and there appears to be some dif- 
ference of opinion whether it was a proper name, 
or only a descriptive epithet; and the names, 
Migdol and Baal-zephon, are no longer known. 
The range of mountains along the western shore 
of the gulf is called Gebel Ataka ; and the pro- 
montory, to which I have already alluded, Ras 
Ataka — names evidently commemorative of the 
miraculous deliverance of the Israelites from their 
Egyptian pursuers * ; and it is probable that the 
names mentioned in Scripture were superseded by 
others arising out of this extraordinary event, and 
have been in process of time altogether forgotten. 

Had the Israelites marched in any other 
direction than along the narrow stretch of shore 
between the present Gebel Ataka and the sea, I 
cannot see how it could with any propriety have 
been said that they were " entangled in the land," 
or that the wilderness had shut them in. But 
here the entanglement was complete. On one 
hand were the mountains, on the other the sea ; 
and when the Egyptian host pursued them into 
this cul-de-sac — for the promontory of Has Ataka 
prevented their advancing to the south — they had 



* The Arabic word Ataka signifies " deliverance.' 9 



LET. III.] 



THROUGH THE RED SEA. 



59 



no alternative, but to defend themselves in their 
disadvantageous position, or to march through the 
sea. In fact the Israelites, having no idea of this 
latter movement, gave themselves up for lost ; 
" and they said unto Moses, Because there were 
no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to 
die in the wilderness 2" 

Now, as they were pursued by the Egyptians, it 
is evident that the van of the host of Israel, and 
consequently those who first entered the sea, were 
those . farthest to the south ; and when we con- 
sider the immense number of the Israelites, with 
their women and children and cattle, we must 
believe that their encampment extended many 
miles along the coast, 

The remark of Niebuhr, that the Israelites 
could never have been so infatuated as to allow 
Moses to lead them blindfold to certain destruc- 
tion, is hardly worth noticing, did it not offer an 
unintentional testimony to the truth of the in- 
spired narrative ; for this is the very conclusion 
to which it was intended that Pharaoh himself 
should be brought, viz., that they had marched 
into a position where their destruction was cer- 
tain. " I will harden Pharaoh's heart that he 
shall follow after them ; and I will be honoured 
upon Pharaoh and upon all his host, that the 
Egyptians may know that I am the Lord." 



60 



ARAB CHILD. 



[let. III. 



Having completed our preparations for the 
journey, we returned about noon to our encamp- 
ment, where we found our people busy loading the 
camels, and Sheich Hussein impatient to be off. 

Beside the circle of grey ashes left by the 
Arabs' fire sat a curious little naked creature, 
stretching out its small black hands over a few 
expiring embers, and looking more like a monkey 
than anything human. To our astonishment, we 
found that this child, which could not be more 
than twelve months old, for it could not even say 
u baksheesh" had been brought by our party from 
Cairo. Its father and mother, Arabs of the 
Owlad Sayd, had both died in Cairo some months 
before ; and one of the Bedaweens who were with 
us, having adopted the little girl, was carrying her 
to their tents at Gebel Tor. That she should 
have survived the storm in the Desert of Suez 
was surprising enough ; and now when we saw her 
stuffed, stark-naked, into a bag full of beans, to 
be jolted for seven or eight days on the back of a 
camel, we could not help expressing our fears of 
her ev6r arriving alive at Gebel Tor. The Be- 
dawee, however, laughed at our fears; and, to 
say the truth, he appeared to be a very kind, 
though rather a rough nurse. 

While passing round the head of the gulf we 
had a pretty stiff breeze from the north, with a 



LET. III.] 



ASPECT OF THE DESERT. 



61 



smart shower of sand and small gravel, which hit 
rather harder than was at all agreeable either to 
us or our dromedaries. They turned tail to it 
once or twice ; and the Bedaweens, who appear 
to be very easily discomposed by such occurrences, 
proposed to stop and take shelter behind the 
camels ; but we rode through it, and in the 
evening encamped in the wilderness of Shur. 

The Desert here has a very different appear- 
ance from that of Suez, which presents an expanse 
of hard grey gravel, with here and there a few 
prickly shrubs. There the Desert appeared to 
me to be only dreary and monotonous ; but here 
I felt impressed by the grandeur of the wild, soli- 
tary waste, surging away, sand hill over sand hill, 
all herbless and lifeless, as far as the eye could 
reach. Perhaps this might partly arise from 
having got rid of the common vulgar associations, 
by which the 6C overland " route to India has unro- 
manced the Desert of Suez. It has become a regu- 
lar high road, marked by carriage wheels, and 
furnished with three " stations," as they are called, 
where travellers may indulge in potations of Cham- 
pagne or London porter. Sixty miles of bad 
road, with three very bad inns, where gentlemen 
in hats and pea-jackets drink bottled porter and 
smoke cheroots. 

There was a sublimity in the desolation and 



62 TRAVELLING ARRANGEMENTS. [let. hi. 

perfect solitude of the Desert here; no trace of 
man, not even the track of camels' feet in the 
sand : the recent footsteps of our own were behind 
us, and ended at our encampment, and all beyond 
w T as as if it had never been trodden. 

No palm-tree rose to spot the wilderness, 
The dark blue sky closed round, 
And rested like a dome, 
Upon the circling waste. 

Everything about us too, the tents, the camels, the 
Bedaweens with their wild faces and picturesque 
costume, was in keeping with the scenery. 

At night the camels, twenty in number, are 
made to kneel close to each other in a half circle, 
within which the bags of beans, pack-saddles, and 
other articles belonging to the Arabs, are piled 
together, forming a tolerable shelter for their 
bivouac. 

In the morning we make the whole party start 
before us, keeping one servant, and one Bedawee 
as a guide ; and, after drinking a cup of coffee 
and smoking a pipe, we overtake and pass the 
caravan ; and as the baggage camels only travel 
between two and three miles an hour, we can 
always stop, for an hour or two where there is any- 
thing to be seen or sketched, and overtake the 
party before the tents are pitched in the evening. 



LET. III.] 



WELLS OF MOSES. 



63 



\2th February. 

After leaving our encampment this morning we 
again came in sight of the sea ; and about nine 
o'clock arrived at Ayn Mousa — " the fountains 
of Moses" — where the Israelites are supposed to 
have landed on coming up out of the Red Sea. 
A few wild palm-trees, shaggy and unpruned, 
grow beside the wells, and form, I think, a 
more picturesque feature in the landscape than 
the date-trees of Egypt, with their long bare 
stems and tufted heads ; though these too are 
very beautiful. The water has a brackish, un- 
pleasant taste ; but we were fain to replenish our 
skins with it, as our Nile water was expended, and 
we had found that of Suez quite undrinkable. 

After leaving the Wells of Moses, we lost sight 
of the sea, which is always a refreshing object, and 
rode for hours through a dreary wilderness of sand, 
broken here and there into dry, gravelly hollows. 
We passed many dead camels, and many a 6C little 
hillock of mortality," small heaps of loose stones 
hardly covering the remains of pilgrims who have 
found a lonely grave in the Desert. 

About sunset we reached Bir Howara, supposed 
to be the Mara of scripture, where we encamped. 
The well rises in a low sand-hill, and the ground 
about it is encrusted with salt. The water is 



64 



ANECDOTE CONCERNING 



[let. III. 



exceedingly bitter, and indeed cannot be drunk. 
The camels will not taste it, and when very thirsty 
they will drink the sea- water. I had the curiosity 
to taste it; — it is intensely bitter, and leaves a 
nauseous taste in the mouth for a long time. A 
short distance to the north of this well is a stream, 
or rather the dry bed of a stream, called Wady 
Amareh, which Burckhardt fixes on as the Mara 
of Scripture. It is about fifty miles from Suez, 
and the children of Israel may easily have wan- 
dered three days in the wilderness before they 
reached it. 

We were now in the country of the Owlad 
Sayd, and Sheich Hussein no longer kept up the 
strict watch at night, which he had done on our 
journey from Cairo. He spoke much of the good 
character of his tribe ; of the rarity of acts of 
dishonesty among them, and of the severity with 
which they were punished when they did occur. 

Among other anecdotes, he told us, that some 
years ago, a Greek priest, who was travelling to 
Mount Sinai, with a single Arab of this tribe, died 
when they were within one day's journey of the 
convent. Had there been any witness of his death, 
the unfortunate Calloyer would have been buried 
in the sand, under one of those little cairns of 
stones which we frequently pass in the Desert ; but 
his journey was known : the Bedawee had been 



LET. III.] 



A DEAD GREEK PRIEST. 



65 



sent to Cairo to meet him, and might be suspected 
of having murdered his companion. He therefore 
placed the dead man upon his dromedary, and pro- 
ceeded on his journey. 

On his arrival at the convent, an investigation 
took place ; the monks were satisfied that their 
expected visitor had died a natural death; and 
the Bedawee was allowed to depart, after deliver- 
ing up the luggage, and everything belonging to 
the deceased. 

" Dead men," they say, " tell no tales;" but 
in this instance the adage did not hold good ; for 
in the pocket of their dead friend the monks found 
an inventory of the property he had with him; and 
on comparing the contents of his mails with this 
document, some articles were found to be missing- 
The suspicious circumstance was mentioned to the 
sheich, who arrived some time after at the convent. 
On his return to the encampment at Gebel Tor, a 
divan was held in the sheich's tent, to which the 
suspected Arab was summoned ; and during his 
absence his own tent was searched, and there the 
stolen property was found, like the wedge of gold 
and the Babylonish garment of Achan, the son of 
Carmi, hid in the ground. 

The thief was driven from the tribe, and went 
to Cairo : where he died soon after. 



66 



PRIVATIONS EXPERIENCED 



[let. III. 



\4th February. 

We had now left the more open part of the 
Desert, and our route lay among narrow sandy 
valleys, between rugged precipitous crags of cal- 
careous rock, mixed with beds of gravel and indu- 
rated sand. You can hardly imagine a more 
savage scene. The crags rose sometimes perpen- 
dicularly, like enormous walls, their summits riven 
and shattered into the most wild and fantastic 
forms ; occasionally the valleys opened out wider, 
and high isolated masses of rock rose abruptly 
from the sand, curiously turreted and embattled, 
and having their naked sides worn and undermined 
by the drifting sand, as if they had been subjected 
to the action of a torrent. Nature has often been 
represented as smiling : here she might be said to 
wear a ghastly and frantic grin. No living thing 
was to be seen, except the little grey lizards that 
darted across our path, or lay basking in the burn- 
ing sunshine on the stones : the air was hot and 
motionless, and the glare from the white rocks and 
sand became painful to the eyes. For the first 
time I began to feel the thirst rather distressing, 
and the water, being heated by the sun, and hav- 
ing already acquired a nauseous taste from the 
skins, afforded little refreshment. 

How little do we think, in reading the history 



LET. III.] 



IN THE DESERT. 



67 



of Israel's wanderings in the wilderness, of the 
trials and temptations to which they were exposed ! 
Our minds are too apt to dwell on their rebellion 
and want of faith ; their forgetfulness of the 
mighty signs and wonders which had so recently 
been wrought for their deliverance ; their want of 
trust in His power and wisdom who, with a mighty 
hand and an outstretched arm, had brought them 
forth out of their house of bondage ; and perhaps 
we may at times feel as if their murmurings against 
the Lord and against Moses were something so 
extraordinary and unreasonable, that we could 
never have been guilty of the like, under the same 
circumstances. But how much must all that they 
had to endure of mere physical privations have 
been enhanced, and made more overwhelming, by 
the almost irresistible despondency which oppresses 
the mind, amid this fearful silence and solitude ! 
It is impossible to look around on the ghastly and 
almost unearthly desolation of this " great and 
terrible wilderness," without feeling that their 
trials were far greater than we had ever before 
imagined ; without feeling sympathy with their 
sufferings, as pity for their frailty. 

After a painful day's march, we encamped at 
the entrance to Wady Homr, where we were for- 
tunate enough to find some rain-water among the 
rocks, a little better than what we had in the 
skins. 



68 



SERABET EL CHADEM, 



[let. III. 



1 5th February, 

The valleys continued to partake of the same 
character as those which we passed through yes- 
terday, but were more open, and less gloomy. In 
many places the sand had been drifted very much, 
and lay like immense snow-wreaths against the 
mountain-side. 

In the evening, we pitched our tents in Wady 
Ramleh, a wide sandy valley, having before us the 
rugged mountain called Gebel Gerabee, on the 
summit of which are the ruins of Serabat el dia- 
dem, which we were to visit next morning. 

16th February. 

Having sent on the camels, we set out with 
Besharah (one of the Beni Sayds) and a servant, 
to visit the ruins. 

After descending a steep bank of sand, and 
crossing a narrow valley full of masses of rock and 
mountain wrack, with a few leafless prickly bushes, 
we began to ascend the mountain. The path was 
rugged and precipitous, and we had to use our 
hands as well as feet in climbing from rock to rock, 
till we came to the verge of an immense chasm, 
surrounded by perpendicular rocks of great height, 
and fearful to look into. Passing along a narrow 
ledge on the margin of this abyss, and again climbing 



LET. III.] 



ITS ROCKS AND RUINS. 



69 



with hands and feet, creeping sometimes over and 
sometimes round the huge masses of rock which 
have fallen from the mountain above, we at last 
reached the summit. The view over the Desert is 
gloomy and desolate: a sea of barren rocky moun- 
tains, and wild serrated peaks, surging upwards 
from the sandy valleys that wind among them — 
" a land of deserts and of pits, a land of drought 
and of the shadow of death, a land where no man 
passed through, and where no man dwelt." 

The ruins appear from a little distance a group 
of upright stones amidst a confused mass of fallen 
masonry, and bear a considerable resemblance to 
an old church-yard. The upright tablets are from 
six to eight feet in height, and about two feet 
broad, and are arched at the top. They are 
covered on both sides with hieroglyphics ; but on 
the side exposed to the northern blasts, the inscrip- 
tions are nearly obliterated. Many of these tablets 
are thrown down, and mingled with fragments of 
square pillars and the ruins of some kind of build- 
ing. Among them we found two capitals, bearing 
the head of Isis, sculptured on four sides, with ox 
ears, and the hair falling in a long curl on each 
side of the face. 

These ruins were discovered by Niebuhr in 1761 ; 
but the account which he gives of them is very 
meagre, and he appears to have been prevented, 



70 



THE RUINS, AND SURMISES 



[let. III. 



by fear of the Arabs, from examining them mi- 
nutely. They were afterwards visited by Burck- 
hardt, and Henniker, and later travellers, and more 
recently by Laborde, who appears to have examined 
them more attentively. He supposes them to be 
the remains of a cemetery, in which the Egyptian 
workmen employed in copper-mines, which were 
worked at a very early period in these mountains, 
were buried. This, however, is merely a conjecture ; 
and it is not very likely that so much labour would 
have been bestowed in covering the tombs of com- 
mon workmen, perhaps slaves, with such elaborate 
hieroglyphic inscriptions. 

On carefully examining the whole ruins, we suc- 
ceeded in tracing the plan and dimensions of the 
building, which has evidently been a temple. The 
pronaos is about a hundred feet in length, the cella 
about seventy-five by thirty-three in breadth. The 
inscribed tablets appear to have stood in two rows 
within the temple. The end opposite the entrance, 
and part of one corner of the building, remain five 
or six feet above the ground. The wall is con- 
structed with large square blocks, and is covered 
with hieroglyphics on the inside. There is an 
excavated chamber, the entrance to which is nearly 
closed up with sand and rubbish, which was pro- 
bably the adytum. It is supported by a single 
square pillar in the centre, and both the walls and 



LET. III.] 



ON THEIR USE AND ORIGIN. 



71 



the pillar are covered with hieroglyphics. There 
are several cartouches on the upright tables, which 
may perhaps determine the time at which the 
temple was built. It must have been at a very 
remote period, if I am right in supposing two of 
these cartouches to be identical with those on the 
obelisks at Luxor and Heliopolis. This is a sub- 
ject, however, on which I am profoundly ignorant 
and the difference which, to my inexperienced eyes, 
is not great, may, after all, be very important : 
but the following cuts are engraved from draw- 
ings of them, for the benefit of any of your 



l 2 




No. 3 is on the square pillar supporting the adytum, the rest 
are on the upright tablets. 



72 GLOOMY ASPECT OF THE DESERT. [ LET . m . 

friends who may be learned in the wisdom of the 
Egyptians. 

We found one of the Arabs with our dromedaries 
at the place where we had encamped the previous 
evening, and set out in search of the caravan and 
our tents. We rode through a narrow defile, 
terminating in a steep mound of stones and moun- * 
tain wrack, where we were obliged to dismount 
and ascend on foot, driving the dromedaries before 
us. In the next wady we were surprised to find 
little Furrook, an Abyssinian boy in Mr. PelFs 
service, seated on a rock, and one of the Bedaweens 
at a little distance, matching the dying moments 
of his dromedary. On seeing our beasts, it made 
an effort to rise, -but sank down again quite ex- 
hausted. A large white vulture was soaring over 
the spot, and was only deterred by the presence of 
man from attacking the dying animal. The Beda- 
wee, however, would not leave it ; and, having 
mounted Furrook behind our friend Ismael, we 
left him to his melancholy watch. 

The country became more gloomy as we pro- 
ceeded. The Mountains had a scorched, metallic 
appearance, aiid the valleys were so encumbered 
with masses of rock and sharp stones, that our 
progress was slow and painful. 

At sunset we entered Wady el Loab, a fine 
open valley surrounded by mountains of red 



LET. III.] 



A VALLEY. PANIC. 



73 



granite, and full of bushes of broom covered with 
white blossom. It was nearly dark when we per- 
ceived a fire at the upper end of the valley ; and, 
dismounting from my dromedary, I walked on and 
found our tents pitched, and dinner — such as it 
was — in preparation. 

11 th February, 

The Bedawee who remained with Furrook^s 
dromedary arrived at the tents during the night. 
As w r e had expected, the animal died. 

It was a beautiful morning when we started ; 
and, after a ride of two hours, we halted in a fine 
open valley, like that whicxx we had left, with a 
magnificent view of part of the Sinaite group 
before us. The appearance of our party created 
considerable alarm in a group of black tents which 
were pitched in the middle of the valley, and near 
which some flocks of goats and one or two donkeys 
were feeding. As soon as we appeared, the tents 
went down one after another, the donkeys were 
caught and loaded, and the whole party were 
scampering off as fast as they could. But the 
goats were not so easily collected, nor so quickly 
driven off, and we were soon in the midst of the 
fugitives. They were a party of women and 
children of the Owlad Sayd, who were tending 
their flocks ; and the presence of our Bed a ween 
companions at once restored tranquillity and 

E 



74 



ARAB ENCAMPMENT. 



[let. hi. 



confidence. We distributed a few piastres among 
the boys, principally because they were the first 
Arabs we had met with who did not ask it. 

Here we determined to rest till the afternoon, 
as the day promised to be a scorching one ; but 
Hussein, who was impatient to get to his tents, 
went on with the caravan, leaving Besharah to 
guide us to the encampment. Our rest, however, 
was anything but a comfortable one for me. I 
had lost a great portion of the skin of my face, 
and suffered severely from the eruption called 
prickly heat ; about noon the sun became intensely 
powerful, and I walked restlessly about in search 
of some shady corner to screen me from its rays. 
About three o'clock we mounted again, and at five 
arrived at the encampment of the Owlad Sayd. 

Our painted pavilions looked a little out of 
place beside the black Arab tents, which were 
more in character with the dark shaggy moun- 
tains which formed the back-ground of the pic- 
ture, and the wild figures who were moving about. 
The w y hole scene was quite patriarchal in its cha* 
racter, and carried the mind back to the times 
when men were hunters and shepherds in the 
field, and dwellers in tents. A kid had been 
killed for us, and our servants were busy cooking 
at a fire in the open air : before one of the tents 
two women, seated on the ground, were grinding 



LET. III.] 



LIFE IN THE DESERT. 



75 



at a small hand-mill, one turning the stone while 
the other poured in the corn : at another, a girl 
baking the Arab bread for us, 

Tost the thin cake on spreading palm : 
Or fix'd it on the glowing oven's side 
With bare wet arm, and safe dexterity. 

The camels, relieved from their burthens, were 
cropping the scanty herbage around the tents ; 
troops of boys and girls were driving home the 
goats from their pasture in the neighbouring 
valleys ; and, although some of the highest peaks 
were still lighted by the setting sun, the moon 
was beginning to shed a sweet silvery light over 
the valley. 

Old Hussein received us in his tent in his usual 
kind, courteous manner. His tent, which w 7 as 
formed of black cloth made, I believe, from goats' 
hair, appeared to differ very little from the others 
around it. It was divided into two parts by a 
sort of curtain. One division formed the women's 
apartment ; and the other, in which he received 
us, contained no furniture except one or two old 
carpets on which we sat. 

After taking coffee and smoking a pipe with 
him, the sheich came with us to Mr. PelFs tent, 
where we dined together ; while the rest of our 
Arab friends made themselves merry round the 
fire outside. 

e 2 



76 



ROCKY PASS LEADING TO 



[let. III. 



Next morning (18th), we started again on our 
way to Mount Sinai, and about one o^clock en- 
tered the wild rocky pass leading to the great 
valley of El Raha. 

It is a continued ascent until you reach the 
open valley, and there has been a regular path 
along the side of the mountain, formed of large 
blocks of granite, but now much destroyed by the 
winter torrents. A small stream runs in the 
bottom of the defile, frequently interrupted, and 
diverted from its course, by huge masses of granite 
which have fallen from the mountains on either 
side. The path winds among similar masses of 
rock, some of them of such enormous size, that 
one wonders how they could have been arrested 
in their headlong descent before reaching the 
bottom of the ravine. On some of the most con- 
spicuous of these rocks smaller stones are placed, 
sometimes one stone above another, which it is 
the custom of pilgrims to set up as they pass* 
This is intended to express, and is generally ac- 
companied by some verbal expression of, thanks- 
giving for their safe arrival at the end of their 
journey ; and is evidently a remnant of the very 
ancient custom, of which many instances are re- 
corded in the Old Testament. To remove any of 
these stones is considered very improper, and sure 
to bring some misfortune on the person who 
does so. 



LET. III.] 



THE VALLEY OF EL RAH A. 



77 



About half-way up the pass, Mr. Roberts and 
I dismounted, for the ascent was toilsome, and, 
from the rocky and broken state of the road, 
painful to the dromedaries. 

We were soon far ahead of the rest of the 
party, and finding, when we had passed the defile, 
a wide valley stretching out before us ; and others, 
more wild and picturesque, branching out on each 
side, we were rather at a loss what direction to 
take. After some deliberation we, as usual in 
such cases, took the wrong, and were just turning 
a shoulder of the hill which would have put us out 
of sight of our companions, when I fortunately 
looked round, and saw our party moving slowly 
along the opposite side of the Wady el Raha. 
We made all haste to overtake the caravan, 
happy at having so narrowly escaped being left 
to spend the night among the rocks and caves. 

The sun had set before we reached the middle 
of the valley ; and I have seldom seen anything 
grander than the appearance of these bare granite 
mountains, with their ragged peaks glittering in 
the moonlight. As we entered the narrow valley 
in which the convent stands, lights were seen 
moving about the building ; and when we rode up 
to the walls, a grey-bearded figure appeared, with 
a torch, at a small window high above our heads ; 
and, after reconnoitring us for a few moments, 



78 



CONVENT OF THE 



[let. III. 



withdrew without speaking a word. Presently 
another window opened, several monks appeared 
with lights, and a rope was let down for our 
letters. After a minute or two, during which our 
friends above appeared to be in deep consultation, 
the rope was again let down for ourselves. 

The ascent is somewhat nervous, I assure you ; 
for the whole apparatus consists of a rope with a 
loop at the end of it — rather ominous — very like 
being u kilted up in a tow," as Bailie Jarvie has 
it — your whole safety depends on your holding 
the rope firmly with your hands, and you find 
constant employment for your feet, in keeping 
yourself from coming in collision with the rough 
projections of the wall. Then the old monks walk 
so slowly round their windlass above, that you 
think you are to be left all night dangling in the 
air ; and, when you are fairly wound up, you 
find yourself hanging two or three feet from the 
window, without the possibility of getting in, till 
the monks get hold of the rope and land you like 
a bale of goods. It put me in mind of Sir Arthur 
Wardours ascent from Bessy's Apron — t4 That's 
right ! hand weel aff the Cat's Lug ! tak' a gude 
grip o' Crtimmie's Horn" — for many were the 
jesting advices and loud the peals of laughter, 
during my ascent, from my friends who remained 
below to enjoy the scene. 



let. nr.] VALLEY OF EL RAHA. 79 

We were very kindly received by the monks, 
and had two apartments allotted to us, furnished 
with deewans, and carpets. The superior had 
retired to rest ; but, after we had' got all our 
luggage hoisted up, and were seated in our room, 
he paid us a visit. He was a fine venerable old 
man, and very polite ; but unluckily he could speak 
very little Arabic, and no other language except 
Romaic. With Mr. Pell's Greek and the supe- 
riors small Arabic, we contrived to get on very 
good terms with our host. He apologised for 
offering us a meagre supper, the rules of the 
convent not permitting the use of meat, but pro- 
mised that a more substantial meal should be 
provided for us next day. The rules of the con- 
vent, however, did not prevent his pledging us in 
a glass of excellent arack, from a curious old flask 
of gilded crystal. A smoking pilaf was then set 
before us, and the finest dates I have ever seen ; 
but the greatest luxury to us was the clear, cool, 
sparkling water from the convent well. 

Fehruary 19. 

The convent is an irregular quadrangle, situated 
on the slope of one side of the valley. Part of the 
walls rests on the base of the western mountain, 
while the rocks on the opposite side of the ravine 
are scarcely twenty paces from the front of the 



80 



CONVENT CHURCH. 



[let. III. 



convent. There are only two entrances ; a sub- 
terranean passage communicating with the garden, 
and rarely used, and the window, by which we 
were admitted, which is thirty-two feet from the 
ground. The subterranean passage is secured by 
a strong iron-studded door at each end. The 
walls are high and well built of square blocks of 
granite, and flanked by towers at the angles. 
The interior is divided into several courts, round 
each of which there is a wooden balcony, from 
which the upper rooms enter; the lower apart- 
ments being used, I believe, for store- houses and 
other similar purposes. 

The great church was founded by the emperor 
Justinian. It is supported by a double row of 
granite pillars, with rude Corinthian capitals ; and 
the pillars, as well as the interior walls, are covered 
with a coating of thin white plaster. The altar is 
separated from the body of the church by a high 
skreen, richly carved and gilded, and surmounted 
by a large gilded cross reaching nearly to the roof; 
and there are abundance of bad pictures ; grim- 
looking saints, and tawdry simpering madonnas, 
in the flat hard style common in the Greek 
churches. Thirty-four silver lamps, of various 
sizes, hang from the roof, some of them of exqui- 
site workmanship ; and on the altar there is a 
goodly display of pixes, chalices, and crosses, set 



LET. III.] 



CONVENT CHURCH. 



81 



with precious stones. They show the silver lid of 
a sarcophagus representing a full-length figure of 
the empress Anne of Russia, who, it seems, in- 
tended to be buried here ; and another said to 
contain the bones of St. Catharine, which were 
found in the neighbouring mountain, whither, 
according to the monkish legend, her body was 
conveyed by angels. The dome over the altar 
contains a large mosaic of the crucifixion, and 
portraits of the emperor Justinian and his em- 
press Theodora. 

The most sacred spot is the chapel of the Burn- 
ing Bush. We descended a few steps from the 
interior of the church to a low door, where we 
were required to take off our shoes before enter- 
ing this sanctum sanctorum of the monks, who 
displayed a great deal more fuss and ceremony 
about admitting us, than reverence after we were 
in. It is a small circular chapel under a dome, 
lighted by two or three lamps, and containing 
nothing worthy of note, except two very beautiful 
illuminated MSS. of the Gospels, which were lying 
on the altar. 

The exterior of the church is without any archi- 
tectural beauty ; but one little circumstance struck 
me as very interesting. This was, several shields 
and coats of arms rudely engraved on the stone, 
on each side of the entrance ; memorials, no doubt, 
e 3 



82 



CONVENT CHURCH. 



[let. IIS, 



of the chivalry of the crusades, and perhaps 
scratched with their daggers by some knightly 
pilgrims. 

On the walls there is a small chapel dedicated 
to St. George, gaudily adorned, and containing 
several flat, staring pictures of saints, with gilded 
glories round their heads. The saint himself 
prances gallantly on a white charger, Avith his 
eyes staring straight forward instead of at the 
dragon under his feet; and he handles his spear 
in a most awkward and unknightly manner. 

There is another chapel dedicated to St. Ca- 
tharine, and a small mosque, built about three 
hundred years ago, when the convent was threat- 
ened by one of the Mooslim rulers of Egypt ; a 
compromise with the infidel which, the monks say, 
saved their convent. 

The library contains a small number of printed 
books, and Greek and Arabic MSS. ; but none, 
I believe, of any great antiquity. They appear 
to be in sad confusion, and the good superior 
seemed to be very innocent of any knowledge of 
their contents. He put into my hands, with an 
air of great importance, a very thin octavo, which 
he appeared to attach considerable value to. It 
was an Annual Report of the London Bible 
Society ! 

No Arab is ever admitted within the walls ; not 



LET. III.] 



LIFE IN THE CONVENT. 



S3 



even our friend Hussein, who is guardian of the 
convent ; but he is supplied with a certain portion 
of bread and fire-wood while he remains. 

The discipline of the convent is very severe. 
The monks are obliged to attend mass twice every 
day and twice during the night. They are for- 
bidden to eat animal food, even fish ; and are worse 
off than the friars of Fail, who 

Made their eggs saft wi J butter, 
And their kail thick wi' bread ; 

for they are allowed neither eggs, butter, nor oil. 
Their food appears to be rice, bread, and dates ; 
yet they were all fine athletic-looking men ; and 
even the old superior, who had been forty years in 
the convent, and was past his eightieth year, 
appeared to enjoy excellent health. 

It may be, that they thrive on their vigils and 
meagre diet, as the holy clerk of Copmanhurst did 
on his dried peas and a draft from St. Dunstan's 
well. They have some cunning hunters among 
them, that is certain ; for an antelope and two 
wild goats (Ibex) were brought to the convent one 
morning for our use, and very scientifically shot 
they were too : moreover the Ibex proved most 
excellent mutton. 

They have several bells in the convent, which 
appear to be seldom used ; the monks being sum- 



84 



MOUNTAIN ARABS. 



[let. III. 



moned to their duties by striking with a hammer 
on a long piece of stone, suspended by a cord from 
the middle, which sends forth a most doleful 
sound. 

The monks appear to be on tolerably friendly 
terms with the Arabs around the convent, to whom 
a scanty dole of bread is let down, from the window 
at which we entered, three times a week. The 
Arabs, who appear to be very poor, collect under 
the convent wall at the appointed hour ; and, the 
rope being let down, they fasten to it their bags 
for the reception of the alms of the monks, who 
draw up the whole, and, putting a portion of bread 
into each, toss them down, one by one, to the 
hungry expectants below. 

These Arabs inhabit caves in the neighbouring 
mountains, and belong to none of the regular tribes, 
calling themselves simply Djebalyeh — "moun- 
taineers/' They are said to be descended from 
a few slaves, originally from the shores of the 
Black Sea, who were sent by Justinian as menial 
servants to the priests # . As they increased in 
number they were settled by the convent as guar- 
dians of the orchards and date-groves throughout 
the peninsula ; but when, at a subsequent period, 
the Bedaweens deprived the convent of many of 
its possessions, these slaves became Mooslims and 



* Burckhardt. 



LET. III.] 



MOUNT HOREB. 



85 



adopted the Bedaween habit. They acknowledge 
their descent from the Christian slaves, and some 
of them are still employed in the convent garden 
and in collecting fire- wood. 

Gebel Mousa and Gebel Catharine are said to 
be the Mount Sinai and Mount Horeb of Scrip- 
ture. There appears to me to be very strong 
evidence against this, as well as the identity of 
other localities, pointed out by the monks as places 
famous in Scripture history. 

Rising from the most elevated part of the 
Sinaite group, Gebel Mousa and Gebel Catharine 
may rather be considered as two peaks of the 
same mountain, than as two distinct and separate 
mountains ; and there appears no good reason for 
identifying the latter, rather than any other moun- 
tain in the district, with Mount Horeb, unless it 
be its proximity to the supposed Sinai, and the 
circumstance of their being sometimes mentioned 
together in the Bible as if they were so conti- 
guous, that what took place at the one might with 
equal propriety be said to have occurred at the 
other. 

We find, however, that w T herever Horeb is 
mentioned, the transaction referred to at the 
time is said to have taken place in, and never 
upon, Horeb. " Behold, I will stand before thee 
upon the rock in Horeb." Exod. xviL 9. " They 



86 



MOUNTS HOREB AND SINAI, 



[let. III. 



made a calf in Horeb, and worshipped the molten 
image " — while the events which occurred at Sinai 
are recorded as having taken place upon the mount ; 
or the phraseology is such as to indicate that Sinai 
was one individual mountain of the group. a They 
pitched their tent in the wilderness, and there 
they encamped before the mount." — "The third 
day the Lord will come down in the sight of all 
the people upon Mount Sinai. — Take heed unto 
yourselves that ye go not up into the mount. — 
And Moses went doivn from the mount. — And 
the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai on the top 
of the mount ; and the Lord called Moses up to 
the top of the mount — and Moses went up*" All 
indicating that Mount Sinai was an individual 
mountain ; while the manner in which Horeb is 
mentioned, would lead one to regard it rather as 
a general appellation for the whole district. We 
find Horeb, too, mentioned in connexion with an 
event which occurred before the arrival of the 
children of Israel at what is termed, in the fol- 
lowing chapter, " the wilderness of Sinai." When 
the people did chide with Moses at Rephidim, 
saying, " Give us water that we may drink/' the 
Lord commanded Moses to take his rod in his 
hand and go, — " And behold I will stand before 
thee on the rock ichich is in Horeb ; and thou shalt 



* Exod. xix. 2, 11,12, 14,20. 



LET. III.] 



GEBEL MOUSA. 



87 



smite the rock." And in a subsequent passage 
we read that the children of Israel " were departed 
from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of 
Sinai." I would conclude from this that Horeb 
was a term for the whole wilderness, including the 
lower group called Gebel Serbal as well as the 
upper group of Mount Sinai. 

But however this may be, I have no hesitation 
in saying that Gebel Mousa is not the Mount 
Sinai of Scripture ; and was probably never con- 
sidered so before the foundation of the convent ; 
and I shall presently show that the rock pointed 
out by the monks, as ' c the rock in Horeb," from 
which the miraculous supply of water was obtained, 
is not in the Rephidim of Scripture. 

A regular path, with steps at the more difficult 
parts of the ascent, has been constructed from the 
convent to the summit of Gebel Mousa. In one 
or two parts it still offers some assistance to the 
pilgrims who ascend to visit the chapel on the top, 
but in most places it is broken up and destroyed 
by the winter torrents, and the ascent is difficult 
and fatiguing. About two-thirds of the way up, 
you come to a small valley lying in a hollow of the 
mountain, and surrounded by high rocks. A single 
cypress-tree grows beside a stone tank in the 
middle of the hollow, and there is a rude chapel 
built over the cave to which Elijah is supposed to 



88 



GEBEL MOUSA. 



[let. hi. 



have retired, when he fled from the wrath of J eze- 
bel. This is the first place at which the pilgrims 
stop, and perform certain prayers in the chapel, 
and in the cave under it. 

From this point to the summit, the ascent is 
very steep and difficult. On the highest peak 
stands the chapel, which is the principal object of 
pilgrimage ; and, a little below, there is a small 
mosque, which is visited by Mooslim pilgrims. 
Both are constructed in the rudest manner, and 
are open to all the blasts of heaven. The wind 
blew keenly here, and patches of snow were still 
lying in every sheltered nook among the rocks. 

The view is savage and desolate beyond descrip- 
tion : a wilderness of naked, ragged peaks, and 
deep rocky ravines : it is very grand, and amply 
repays the labour of the ascent ; but it is not the 
view I expected to see from the summit of Mount 
Sinai. I looked in vain for any open valley or 
plain, on which the children of Israel might have 
encamped in sight of the mount; and it is evident 
from the sacred narrative that the mount was seen 
by the whole host, and they from the mount; nay, 
that the encampment advanced so near to " the 
border of it," that it was necessary to set bounds, 
lest the people or their cattle should touch it. I 
consider this as quite conclusive against Gebel 
Mousa, in the absence of any evidence in its 



LET. III.] 



GEBEL SERBAL. 



89 



favour, or any tradition older than the convent of 
St. Catharine. 

There appears to have been an earlier tradition 
in favour of Gebel Serbal, which forms a separate 
group, seven or eight miles further to the west, 
and must unquestionably have been the first high 
mountain which the Israelites came to on their 
journey out of Egypt. In the wide valleys around 
its base, there is ample room for the children of 
Israel to have encamped in sight of its summit ; 
there are vestiges of a path, and steps leading to 
the top ; and, from the remains of a chapel on the 
highest point, and traces of inscriptions on the 
rocks, there can be little doubt that it has been 
the Mount Sinai of pilgrimage before the founda- 
tion of the present convent. 

The advantage of its natural position, and this 
apparently earlier tradition in its favour, have led 
some writers to conclude that Gebel Serbal is the 
true Mount Sinai. But although its claims to be 
Mount Sinai are, in some respects, better founded 
than those of Gebel Mousa, they are liable to an 
objection which I think quite insuperable. 

" The children of Israel took their journeys out 
of the wilderness of Sinai ; and the cloud rested 
in the wilderness of Paran*/' Sinai and Paran, 
then, were different places, and at a certain dis- 



* NumberSjX. 12. 



90 



GEBEL MINNEGIA. 



[let. III. 



tance from each other ; and, if it can be shown 
that Gebel Serbal is Mount Paran, it follows, of 
course, that it cannot be Mount Sinai. 

Now, the valley at the foot of Gebel Serbal is 
called Wady Feiran, or Faran — that is Paran, for 
the Arabic letter represents both sounds/* and f ; 
and Burckhardt states, on the authority of the 
Arabian historian Makrizi, that a city in the 
valley, the mountain itself, and the whole country 
between it and the sea, were called by the same 
name. Gebel Serbal, therefore, appears to be 
Mount Paran, and, consequently, cannot be Mount 
Sinai. 

Lord Lindsay, with apparently better reason, 
has fixed on Gebel Minnegia as the true Mount 
Sinai. It rises at one end of the great valley 
called El Raha, where, I agree with Lord Lindsay 
in thinking, that the encampment of the Israelites 
must have been. The valley rises from the base 
of Gebel Minnegia, by a very gentle acclivity, pre- 
senting a plain of considerable extent, varied only 
by a few slight undulations ; and is, in fact, the 
only situation in the district in which the children 
of Israel could have encamped. 

I am inclined, therefore, to agree with Lord 
Lindsay that Gebel Minnegia is Mount Sinai ; but 
at the same time it must be confessed that, except 
its somewhat more imposing appearance, there is 



LET. III.] 



VALLEY OP REPHIDIM. 



91 



no good reason for preferring it to any of the 
other mountains which inclose the plain. I feel 
no doubt that the host of Israel encamped in El 
Raha when the law was given from Mount Sinai ; 
but the exact position of that mountain will per- 
haps ever remain in obscurity. 

The deep rocky valley called El Ledja, formed 
by Gebel Mousa and Gebel Catharine, is the local- 
ity which the monks of St. Catharine identify with 
the Rephidim of chap. xvii. of Exodus. It is an 
elevated, rocky valley, and must, in all probability, 
have been too well supplied w T ith springs of water 
to have rendered necessary the miracle related in 
the text. The circumstance of its being in the 
district properly called " the wilderness of Sinai," 
is quite fatal to their tradition ; for we read that 
"in the third month after the children of Israel 
had gone forth out of the land of Egypt, in the 
same day they came into the wilderness of Sinai ; 
for they ivere departed from Rephidim and were come 
into the desert of Sinai." 

After the people had been miraculously supplied 
with water at Rephidim, when Moses, according 
to the Divine command, struck the rock in the 
sight of the elders of Israel, we find that Ama- 
lek came out and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 
Now, in Wady Feiran and the neighbouring val- 
leys, ruins are found which indicate that the 



92 



REPHIDIM AND SINAI, 



[let. nr. 



country was once possessed by a settled people ; 
and these ruins have been supposed to be the 
remains of towns of the Amalekites # . Further 
west is a barren sandy desert, and there are no 
wells nearer than Morcka on the sea-coast ; it is 
a land of drought where there is no water, and 
where such a miraculous interposition as that 
recorded in the text could alone have supplied the 
people with water to drink. On their still advanc- 
ing from this barren district, " Amalek came out 
and fought with Israel ; " no doubt to oppose the 
entrance of the Israelites into their fertile and 
well- watered valleys; and after "Joshua had dis- 
comfited Amalek with the edge of the sword," the 
host of Israel " departed from Rephidim;" and came 
into the wilderness of Sinai. 

Comparing the situation of all these places with 
the sacred narrative, there can be little doubt that 
Rephidim was to the west of Gebel Serbal, that 
that mountain is Mount Paran, and that one of 
the mountains overlooking the plain of El Raha is 
Mount Sinai. 

On the 22nd February we took leave of the 
convent. Nothing could exceed the kindness and 
hospitality of the superior, and all the brother- 
hood, during our stay ; and they now furnished us 



* Burckhardt. 



LET. III.] 



JOURNEY RESUMED. 



93 



with a supply of bread, dates, and rice, for our 
journey. 

About noon we started, and crossing the plain of 
El Raha, which I have mentioned so often, entered 
Wady Sheich. As we passed the sheich's tomb, 
from which the valley takes its name, one of the 
Bedaweens brought a handful of sand from the 
interior of the building, and sprinkling it on the 
heads of our dromedaries, assured us that it would 
preserve us from any ill fortune by the way. 

Towards evening we left the granite mountains, 
and passed through several dreary sandy valleys, 
walled in by high sandstone rocks, curiously 
turreted and perforated, and worn in long parallel 
grooves, which gave them a strange architectural 
appearance at a distance. Burckhardt conjectures 
this district to be the Hazeroth of Moses. 

Our route during the two next days continued 
among narrow rocky wadies of a less desolate ap- 
pearance. Dwarf shrubs clothed the rocky sides 
of many of the valleys, the cry of the partridge 
was heard on every side, and we saw a good many 
of these birds, but they were too wary to remain 
within shot. 

On the morning of the 25th we entered a moun- 
tain pass leading, by very gradual declivity, to the 
shores of the eastern gulf of the Red Sea. There 
was a cool breeze blowing around us ; we felt 



94 



APPROACH TO 



[let. III. 



refreshed by the very sight of the deep blue water 
in the distance ; and, although a thin, light mist 
appeared above the sea, drifting rapidly before the 
wind, we anticipated a delightful ride along the 
shore. We had stopped to sketch a very romantic 
group of rocks at the head of the pass, and sent on 
the camels, keeping only Besharah to guide us to 
our tents in the evening, and little Furrook, who 
carried our breakfast. The wind became gradually 
stronger as we descended and passed one or two 
openings in the mountains ; and, when we arrived 
at the bottom of the pass, and left the shelter of 
the high rocks, we found ourselves exposed to such 
a breeze, that it was with some difficulty that we 
accomplished our intended breakfast. But, to our 
more serious discomfort, we now found that what 
we had mistaken for vapour rising from the sea, 
was fine sand, which now covered in one dense 
cloud the whole plain between the mountains and 
the sea. Our caravan had passed more than two 
hours before, and we had no alternative but to 
follow, wrapping our heads in shawls and handker- 
chiefs, and trusting to Besharah to guide ufb 
through the storm. We kept as near each other 
as possible, Besharah leading the way; for the 
clouds of sand were so dense, that we could scarcely 
see ten yards around us ; and had proceeded very 
slowly for about an hour, when a dim shadowy 



LET. III.] 



THE RED SEA. 



95 



figure on a dromedary appeared, moving at a 
wavering and uncertain pace through the sand 
drift. It was Saad, the sheich's Nubian slave, who 
had been sent with two skins in search of water in 
the morning, and was now making his way to the 
tents. He had found no water, however. Our 
proper course lay along the coast, in which direc- 
tion we supposed we had all along been moving ; 
but in a little while we got among large pools of salt 
water, and at last found ourselves riding directly 
into the sea. We had now something to guide us ; 
and, keeping straight along the shore, we reached 
our tents late in the afternoon. They were pitched 
beside a well, near a group of wild palm-trees ; 
but the water was very bad, and the ground salty 
and damp, and too much exposed in case of another 
sand-drift. We therefore ordered the tents to be 
struck, and the camels loaded again ; and, riding 
on till sunset, encamped on a gravelly plain between 
the mountains and the sea. 

This was certainly the most uncomfortable even- 
ing we had had. Our eyes, noses, and ears, were 
filled with sand, I felt it grinding in my teeth the 
whole evening ; it had got into one of my port- 
manteaus in considerable quantity, and, what was 
worse, had found its way among our provisions. 
The water, too, was worse than ever ; stinking 
and full of animalcules ; and I could scarcely 



96 



THE EED SEA. 



[let. Ill, 



swallow it after being strained through two or 
three pocket-handkerchiefs. 

Next morning (26th) we sent forward the camels 
early, and had a delightful ride along the sands. 
The morning was most beautiful, numbers of small 
crabs were running about in every direction, and 
the sea appeared absolutely alive with shoals of 
fish. I felt very thirsty, and could almost fancy 
that the feeling was aggravated by the sight of the 
sea, so beautifully fresh and clear. It reminded 
me of the lines in the Ancient Mariner — 

Water, water, everywhere, 
And not a drop to drink. 

We had a swim, however, and felt much refreshed 
by it. During the heat of the day, we rode slowly 
on, stopping now and then to pick up a few shells. 
At Has Abasoar we struck again into the moun- 
tains ; and, crossing the rocky and precipitous 
path over the promontory, came again upon the 
sea-shore at sunset. We had some difficulty in 
finding our tents, as we had lost the track of the 
camels' feet among the stones and hard gravel, 
and it was nearly dark when we arrived at the 
camp. 

W e were met by Sheich Hussein, who told us, 
with some anxiety in his face, that two of our 
servants were missing. In spite of his remon- 



LET. III.] 



ISLA.ND OF GRAIA. 



97 



strances, they had persisted in following a path of 
their own choosing, instead of keeping with him 
and the rest of the party. This was the second 
occasion on which one of them had lost his way 
by not keeping by the party, and we felt a little 
uneasy about them ; for although we were not 
much afraid of their being attacked by the hyenas, 
which Besharah seemed to think highly probable, 
we were not free from some apprehension of their 
losing themselves altogether, or breaking their 
necks among the rocks. A large fire was lighted, 
and guns fired every five or ten minutes ; and 
about nine o'clock the delinquents appeared. 

Besharah had been the constant guide and 
companion of our rides, when away from Sheich 
Hussein and our caravan. He was an intelligent, 
obliging, good-humoured fellow ; and, we thought, 
had become really attached to us. We certainly 
all of us felt a great regard for him, and were both 
disappointed and surprised, on starting this morn- 
ing, (27th,) to find one of the other Bedaweens in 
his place. No one knew what had become of him, 
although it was supposed that he had started for 
Akaba early in the morning, to give notice of our 
approach. 

About ten o'clock we passed the island of Graia, 
called by the Arabs Kalat el Dier. I believe that 
Laborde is the only European w 7 ho has landed on 



98 



AKABA. 



[let. III. 



this island since the time of the crusades. We 
had no means of crossing to it ; and there is 
nothing in his description sufficiently interesting 
to have induced us to lose our time in constructing 
a raft for the purpose, as he did. This island 
served as a defence to the port of Elath against 
the surrounding tribes, from the earliest period ; 
and appears to be covered, to a considerable 
extent, with the ruins of the ancient fortifications. 

About one o'clock we found our friend Besharah 
seated on a rock by the sea- side, and his absence 
w r as now accounted for. He knew how ill off we 
had been for water during the last two days, and 
had started very early, and walked all the way to 
Akaba, that he might fill one of our zumzumichs * 
at the well in the fortress, and meet us with the 
first draft of fresh water we had had for some days. 
We could not but feel this disinterested kindness 
and attention to our wants, on the part of our 
Bedaween friend ; kindness which can hardly be 
appreciated by those who have not travelled in 
this barren and thirsty wilderness ; nor did he 
appear to be less gratified, by the grateful eager- 
ness with which we received his gift. 

About three o'clock we reached Akaba and 
marched our party up to the high level ground 
overlooking the fortress, which appeared the most 

* A leathern bottle which each man carries at his saddle. 



LET. III.] 



AKABA. 



99 



eligible situation for our encampment. We had 
just dismounted, but had not begun to unload the 
camels, when two officers bustled up, followed by 
half-a-dozen irregular Arab soldiers, and demanded 
by what authority we pitched our tents there. 
We had the Pacha's firman, we said, and we 
intended to pitch our tents on whatever spot might 
appear most convenient to ourselves. This pro- 
duced a loud remonstrance from our two new 
acquaintances, who informed us that it was the 
governor s will that we should come into the for- 
tress. Both spoke at the same time, and very 
loud, and were beginning to order the Arabs to 
take their camels down to the fort, when Mr. Pell 
turned to the most loquacious, and, putting his 
hand on his mouth, told him to hold his tongue. 
" We don't know who you are," he said; "when 
we have got our tents pitched we shall come to 
the governor — if he has anything to say before 
that, he must come to us.* 11 " Wullah !" exclaimed 
the astonished aga, turning to his companion, 
6t they dont know who we are !" 

A second messenger now arrived, who said that 
the place we had chosen was dangerous, that we 
would certainly be robbed ; and that, as the 
governor was responsible for our safety, he desired 
that our camels, tents, luggage, everything might 
be brought within the walls of the fortress, But 

f2 



100 



AKABA. 



[let. III. 



we recollected how Lord Lindsay and his friends 
had been treated here, and had no idea of walking 
of our own accord into the governors trap. We 
told his messengers that we were quite able to 
protect ourselves, and that we thought the outside 
as safe as the inside of the fortress ; that, however, 
we would so far comply with his wishes as to pitch 
our tents in the grove of date-trees between the 
fort and the sea, which, as it was directly under 
the walls, would give the governor an opportunity 
of watching over our safety. And, without waiting 
to hear more, we walked down to the place where 
we meant to encamp. 

While we were busy arranging our tents, the 
little great man came down. He was a swarthy, 
thin-bearded, greasy, vulgar-looking little fellow, 
and had evidently dressed for the occasion, and 
wanted to make an impression. He wore a dark- 
coloured Moorish lournouse over his frayed and 
faded silk ckooftan, and was smoking from the 
tube of a large sheesheh* ; , nearly as tall as himself, 
which an attendant carried behind him. His 
ineffectual attempts to dispose his shabby dress to 
the best advantage, and to assume something like 
an air of dignity, were exceedingly amusing. He 
looked as if he would fain have bullied a little ; 



* The Persian water-pipe. 



LET. III.] 



AKABA. 



101 



but we knew our man, and went on with our work 
without appearing to observe him. At last the 
topgi bashi, the second in command of the for- 
tress, stepped forward to inform us that this was 
the governor. We replied that we were busy — 
that in an hour we would come to the fortress — 
and that, in the mean time, we wished to be 
relieved from the crowd of idle Arabs, who were 
lounging about, prying into everything, and no 
doubt ready to pick up any unconsidered trifle 
they might lay their hands on. This was done 
immediately. The topgi at once dropped his 
dignity, and shying his staff among the legs of the 
idlers, began to pelt them with stones, with such 
effect that the place was soon cleared. The little 
nazir too, finding himself in rather a false position, 
had sneaked off unobserved in the confusion. 

As we determined to visit the governor in all 
the state we could assume, we dressed for the 
occasion, installed our friend Ismael Effendee in 
the honourable office of dragoman, and made the 
servants follow us with our pipes. We found the 
little man seated on a mastabbah in the window of 
a large dismal-looking apartment, and still smok- 
ing his sheesheh. The topgi bashi and another 
officer, and two or three nondescript Arabs, were 
sitting on a deewan, covered with a dirty mat, at 
the end of the room. Having seated ourselves 



102 AKABA. [let. hi. 

beside the governor, after the usual salutations, 
we handed him our firmans, which he read aloud, 
translating them into Arabic for the benefit of his 
audience, who were no doubt properly impressed 
by this display of his learning. We then inquired 
whether he had received letters from Abbas Pacha 
for himself and the sheich of the Alloeens ; and 
when the sheich might be expected* 

These letters had been promised to us, but had 
not been sent from the citadel when we left Cairo ; 
and we had started, rather reluctantly, without 
them, on Dr. Walne, the English consul, promis- 
ing that they should be forwarded by a courier to 
Suez. At that place we received a note from 
Dr. Walne saying, that the letters would be sent 
before us to Akaba, and now we found that none 
had arrived. 

The governor assured us that the letter to him 
was quite unnecessary — that our firmans were 
sufficient to command all the attention and assist- 
ance in his power ; but it was uncertain where 
Sheich Hussein the Alloeen might be. A mes- 
senger was despatched to bring him to Akaba, 
but it might be three or four days before he re- 
turned ; and, in the mean time, we felt anything 
but pleased at the misarrangement which left us 
to waste our precious time in this place, in perfect 
uncertainty when the Alloeens might arrive. 



LET. III. J 



AKABA. 



103 



Akaba is a mere group of wretched hovels, and 
it is difficult to conjecture how the people contrive 
to live. Where Solomon had his navy of ships, 
there is not a single boat to be found ; and a soli- 
tary fisherman may be seen, on a calm day, paddling 
himself out to sea astride on the trunk of a palm- 
tree. The fortress is one of the stations at which 
stores are kept for the Hadg caravan, and is garri- 
soned by a small number of irregular troops, who 
appear to have nothing to do but to waste the 
Pacha's powder in shooting all day at a mark. 
Some of them are good marksmen, and hit an 
egg at about eighty yards, which, considering 
the wretched guns they have, is tolerably good 
shooting. 

The weather was so oppressively hot, that we 
moved very little out, except in the afternoon to 
bathe ; and we were never allowed, for any length 
of time, to enjoy the privacy of our own tents 
without interruption. The nazir was continually 
dropping in, out of pure idleness and curiosity. 
He seated himself on our carpet with as little 
ceremony as if we had known him all our lives ; 
and, as his attendant always followed him with the 
sheeskeh, if we were not in a humour for conversa- 
tion, he seemed quite content to smoke and look 
at us. His two officers, the topgi bashi and the 
keeper of the stores, added to their other occupa- 



104 



AKABA. 



[let. III. 



tions that of merchants ; and finding there was 
nothing to be got in the way of official extortion, 
did all in their power to pick our pockets in their 
civil capacity. They brought abbayes, keffiehs, 
shawls, and all manner of Bedaween trappings 
from the Hedgas for sale, and our tent looked like 
an old- clothes shop. 

Akaba is on the site of Elath, the ancient city 
of the Edomites, which was taken possession of 
by David when he conquered Edom. Under 
David and Solomon, it appears to have been a 
place of great importance, as commanding the 
commerce carried on through this branch of the 
Arabian gulf ; and it remained in the hands of the 
Jews till the reign of J oram, when it was retaken 
by the Edomites. It was again taken by Azariah; 
but, during the reign of Ahaz, " Rezin, king of 
Syria, recovered Elath to Syria, and drave the 
J ews from Elath ; * nor did they ever regain pos- 
session of it. 

It afterwards fell successively into the hands of 
the Ptolemies, the Romans, the Greek emperors, 
the Arabians, and the sultans of Egypt. " In 
former times it was the frontier place of the 
Greeks ; at one mile from it is a triumphal arch 
of the Caesars. In the time of Islam it was a 
fine town, inhabited by the Beni Omeya. Ibn 
Achmet Ibn Touloun (a sultan of Egypt) made 



LET. III.] 



AKABA. 



105 



the road over the Akaba, or steep mountain, be- 
fore Aila. There were many mosques at Aila, and 
many Jews lived there ; it was taken by the 
Franks during the crusades, but in 566* Salahed- 
dun transported ships on camels from Cairo to this 
place, and recovered it from them. Near Aila 
was formerly situated a large and handsome town 
called Aszioun" — Eziongebert. There are now 
no remains of either of those towns. 

Solomon, we are told, " built a navy of ships at 
Eziongeber, which is beside Elath, on the shores 
of the Red Sea, in the land Edom:" and hence 
we may trace the origin of the appellation " Red 
Sea " now in use. The land of Edom having ex- 
tended to Eziongeber, it is probable that the sea 
was called the sea of Edom ; and that the Greeks, 
mistaking the word Edom (red) for an appellative, 
translated it epvOpa Oakacro-a or i£ the red Sea," by 
which name it has since been known. 

On the 2nd of March the Alloeens arrived. 
They were by no means so prepossessing in their 
appearance as our old friends the Reni Sayds. 
Our usual visiters were with us when they arrived ; 
but, as we did not wish the governor to be present 
at our conversation, we used very little ceremony 
in getting rid of him and his friends. After the 

* 566 of the Hegira, corresponding to a.d. 1188. 
f Makrizi, quoted by Burckhardt. 
F 3 



106 



AKABA. 



[let. III. 



usual salutations and inquiries after his health, we 
opened our negotiation with the Alloeen. 

The sheich was a thin, wiry man, about fifty, 
rather under the middle height ; his nose thin and 
aquiline, and his eyes dark, sparkling, and rest- 
less. He was dressed in a striped silk ckooftan 
of Damascus stuff, and an ample robe of scarlet 
cloth ; and wore a red cashmere shawl on his 
head. He had brought with him his son Moham- 
med, a fine boy about twelve years of age, of 
fairer complexion and more open countenance than 
his father. He wore the Bedaween dress, with 
his feet bare, and the keffieh disposed in fine pic- 
turesque folds round his face, and over his neck 
and shoulders ; and carried one of their long 
crooked knives in his girdle. 

The young sheich watched our negotiation very 
earnestly, looking alternately from Ismael to his 
father as either spoke ; and if we conversed toge- 
ther in English, his large expressive eyes were 
fixed on each speaker, as if he were striving to 
read in our countenances, what he could not 
understand in our language. 

We had brought a letter to Sheich Hussein from 
M. Linant, the companion of Labor de on his jour- 
ney to Petra, which Ismael read aloud — reading 
not being one of the sheich's accomplishments. 
When he had heard the letter, Hussein placed it 



LET. III.] 



AKABA. 



107 



in his bosom, saying that his camels, and every- 
thing he had, were ours — that he was ready to 
conduct us wherever we pleased, and Inshallah ! 
there were few places where we would not be safe 
under his protection. When we inquired the price 
of his camels for the journey, he replied that he 
would fix no price — we were friends of Abd'al 
Khagg*, and his friends, and he would take no 
money from us — he knew that we would give him 
a present at Hebron, which would be adequate to 
his services. 

We knew very well that this was mere talk, and 
that the old sheich was quietly considering how he 
could make the best bargain for himself. We were 
prepared to find him very exorbitant in his 
demands, and had resolved to have the terms of 
our bargain distinctly fixed, and an agreement 
signed before starting. 

But, before carrying our negotiation further, we 
had a proposal to make, which we feared might 
create some difficulty. Mr. Pell did not intend to 
accompany us further than to Petra, and wished 
to take Sheich Hussein, the Beni Sayd, Besharah, 
and another of our former guides, that he might 
return with them to Cairo. They had shown some 

* The name by which M. Linant is known to the Bedaween 
tribes, among whom he lived a considerable time, and is much 
respected. 



108 



AKABA. 



[let. hi. 



reluctance to trust themselves among the Alloeens 
and the Fellahs of Wady Mousa ; and when we 
now made the proposal, explaining Mr. Pell's rea* 
son for wishing this addition to our party, little 
Mohammed looked surprised, and cast a displeased 
and inquiring glance towards his father, which 
showed that the proposal was not an agreeable one. 
The old sheich, however, received it quite unmoved, 
merely replying that the khowaga could return in 
perfect safety with some of his tribe. On the 
matter being pressed, he said, he had no objection 
to the BeniSayds coming into his country, but that 
this could not interfere with any agreement we 
might make with him. In other words, whatever 
Mr. Pell might pay the others, he was determined 
to get as much as he could, whether they were of 
the party or not. 

Some words then passed between the two sheichs; 
little Mohammed began to fidget about in his seat, 
and was evidently getting excited, as the voices of 
the old men waxed louder ; and the affair ended 
in the Alloeen declaring that he would not allow 
the Beni Sayds to come into his country, and in 
our old friend Hussein suddenly recollecting that 
he required to be soon in Musr (Cairo), and that 
he must return to his tents immediately. He then 
rose and left the tent, and we renewed our nego- 
tiation with the Alloeen. 



let. in.] AKABA. 109 

We again pressed Hussein to say what sum he 
expected for taking us to Hebron, allowing us to 
spend as many days as we pleased in Wady Mousa. 
" Ya effendee," said the Sheich, or as he pro- 
nounced it, " Uffundee ! you must have drome- 
daries to ride ; and you will require twenty-five 
camels to carry your baggage and tents, then I 
must take twenty men mounted on dromedaries as 
a guard. " And so reckoning at so much for each 
camel and dromedary, he made up his demand to 
11,250 piastres, about 112/., besides which he 
expected us to pay 50 piastres a-day for each 
camel while we remained in Petra. 

We expected him to ask at least twice as much 
as he intended to take, but the exorbitance of this 
demand we were not prepared for. We expressed 
great surprise ; said that his friend Abd'al Khagg 
had told us he was a reasonable man ; and that we 
were sorry to find that he had mistaken his charac- 
ter ; the sum which he asked was so far beyond 
what we had any intention of giving, that there 
was no use in prolonging the conversation. We 
reminded him that he had taken Lord Lindsay to 
Petra for less than half what he now demanded, 
and two friends of Mr. Roberts's for even a smaller 
sum. "That agreement," — replied the sheich, very 
coolly, " was made at Musr, in the house of your 
consul, you are treating with me in the Desert !" 



110 



AKABA. 



[let. III. 



" Well, then, ya Sheich,^ said Ismael, " we will 
return to Musr rather than give what you ask ; 
but the consul and Abbas Pacha shall know how 
difficult it is to treat with you in your own country 
— have we not the Pacha's firman \ " 

" Wullah! yaUffundee," replied Hussein starting 
up, c; I am not the Basha's servant ! 

Little Mohammed rose too, and to all appear- 
ance the divan was broken up ; but, just as he was 
about to leave the tent, Hussein turned and asked, 
" Well then, Effendee, what will you give me ?" 

The fact was, most of the Beni Sayds had 
already set out, on their return to their own tents, 
before Sheich Hussein arrived ; and he no doubt 
thought, that we were completely in his power, 
and that we could not leave Akaba at all witho.ut 
his assistance. As soon as he had again seated 
himself, we told him that rather than accede to 
his demands, we would cross to El Arish and 
Gaza ; and that the Beni Sayds were not so far 
off but we could easily send after and bring them 
back. We had come from Musr with twenty 
camels, we said, and we would have no more now ; 
as to his twenty guards, we did not want them at 
all. We were quite satisfied that his presence 
was a sufficient security for our safety. 

" By Allah ! O Effendee;' replied the sheich, 
" you do not know the country you are going into 



LET. III.] 



AKABA. 



Ill 



— twenty camels are not enough ; and as for the 
guard, they are necessary. Wullah ! am I not in 
danger myself in Wady Mousa ? I never go with 
fewer men, and I will not " 

" See, then, O Sheich!" we replied, " you 
shall take as many camels as you please, and half 
your tribe for a guard if you think fit ; and we 
will pay you a specific sum for the whole journey. 
The sum we intended to offer you was 4,000 
piastres ; but, to put an end to all disputes, we 
will give 4,500 ; now, if you choose to take it, well ; 
if not, we are Englishmen, it is our last word." 

This offer, although we scarcely expected it, 
was, after a little more higgling, accepted ; the 
sheich observing, at the same time, that he was 
sure we would make him a handsome present at 
Khalil (Hebron), and that we would pay for the 
camels while we remained in Petra. We told him, 
however, that we promised nothing but what was 
contained in our written agreement ; and that 
anything beyond that would depend on the manner 
in which we were treated by him and his men. 

The agreement, written in Arabic by Ismael, 
was then read over to him, and our respective 
signets affixed to it. We paid him 1,500 piastres 
down, and were to pay the remaining 3,000 on 
our arrival at Hebron. 

Arrangements were immediately made for start- 



112 



AKABA. 



[let. nr. 



ing early next morning ; and, in the mean time, to 
put all in good-humour, we invited the governor, 
Sheich Hussein, the Alloeen and his son, and 
Sheich Hussein the Beni Sayd, to dine in our tent 
at the mughrib) or time of prayer, at sunset. 
During the afternoon the Governor of Adjeroud 
arrived, to supersede the Governor of Akaba, who 
is ordered to one of the stations farther into the 
Desert, and the new governor joined our party. 

Our means of entertainment were rather limited. 
A kid was procured somewhere in the neighbour- 
hood, and excellent fish from the gulf : we had 
plenty of rice, some onions, and a box or two of 
mishmish, the preserved apricots of Damascus ; 
and our Arab servants displayed considerable 
ingenuity in the variety and style of their dishes. 
The dinner was excellent, and our visiters all in 
very good humour. Little Mohammed's fingers 
were never out of the dish, except in their way to 
and from his mouth ; and, to use an Arabian simile, 
or rather a couple of them, his hand went into the 
dish like the claw of a raven, and came out like 
the foot of a camel. 

They got merry, too, over their meat, as other 
folks do over their wine ; and their good-humour 
appeared to increase as they filled their stomachs. 
" Wullah !" exclaimed the Alloeen sheich, as 
he wiped the soap and water from his beard ; 



LET. III.] 



AKABA. 



113 



" Wullah ! ya Effundee, we have seen many din- 
ners, but never such a one as this — El-ham-du- 
lillah P 

After consuming a fearful quantity of tobacco, 
with occasional cups of coffee, our guests departed, 
the governor to his fortress, and the Alloeen to his 
bivouac among the low bushes at the head of the 
gulf. 

We had now to take leave of the Beni Sayds, 
and right sorry we were to part with them, for a 
more honest, simple, kind-hearted set of men I 
never met with ; and there was a savageness of 
appearance and a want of courtesy about our new 
allies, which prevented our feeling the same con- 
fidence in them. We had bought a few keffiehs 
and other articles of dress, as presents for two or 
three of the men who had made themselves espe- 
cially useful to us ; and among them our friend 
Besharah was, of course, distinguished. He had 
taken a great fancy for a ffibbeh, or mantle, of 
green cloth, which he had seen among the frippery 
brought to our tents for sale, and was now made 
happy in the possession of it. They all appeared 
delighted with our presents, and we parted, I 
think, with mutual feelings of regret that we were 
never to meet again. I am sure the feeling was 
sincere enough on our part. 



114 THE JOURNEY RESUMED. [let. iv. 



LETTER IV. 

Wady Araba— -Gulf of Akaba— Site of Kadesh— Valley of Petra : 
ruins and excavations of that city — Review of prophecies con- 
cerning Edom — The Arabs, their habits, and treatment of 
travellers — Departure from Petra and incidents of the journey 
thence to Palestine— Gaza — Askelon — Jaffa — Cesarea — Mount 
Carmel — Acre— Tyre and Sidon — Arrival at Beyrout. 

Beyrout, April 1839. 

My dear , 

Until my arrival here, I have had no opportu- 
nity of despatching a letter to you. I now send 
you the remainder of my journal. 

I am glad to find myself once more under a roof, 
and enjoying the luxury of writing in u my own 
room." This is a much pleasanter place than I 
expected, and the situation is very beautiful. The 
town lies upon a gentle slope, at the extremity of 
a fine bay, and is surrounded by mulberry and fig 
gardens, stretching across the plain to the range of 
Libanus, which forms a grand back-ground to the 
landscape. But I must return to my journal, and 
leave any description of this place, of which I have 
seen very little yet, to my next letter. 

We found the Alloeens, after all, a very civil 



LET. IV.] 



WADY ARAB A. 



115 



set of fellows, but their sheich a sad dog. Our 
route Jay up the great Wady Araba, a broad, 
sandy valley, extending from the southern extrem- 
ity of the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Akaba 5 and 
supposed to have been the valley of the J ordan 3 
before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. 
Towards the gulf the valley expands into a plain, 
about ten miles from east to west, and is probably 
44 the way of the plain from Elath, and from Ezion- 
gaber," mentioned in Deut. ii. 8. For some 
distance near the sea, the ground is impregnated 
with salt, but as we proceeded northward, although 
still sandy, there was a faint appearance of vege- 
tation. The range of mountains on the west may 
possibly be the " ascent of Akrabbim," alluded to 
(in Numbers xxxiv. 4.) in describing the bound- 
aries of the land of Canaan. 

We found the valley as we proceeded to be 
nearly as barren as many parts of the Desert we 
had travelled through, except that here and there 
the sand afforded sufficient nourishment to tracts 
of thin grass ; and in some places the valley was 
pretty well covered with a species of broom, and 
some thorny shrubs. 

About three o'clock in the afternoon Sheich 
Hussein proposed to stop and pitch the tents; but 
as we had not made our usual day's journey, and 
knew that the encampment of the Alloeens could 



116 



THE ALLOEEN ARABS, 



[let. IV. 



not be many hours distant, we resolved to continue 
our march till sunset. In about an hour we 
reached the Alloeen tents, and could not but think 
it a little inhospitable in the sheich that he gave 
us no intimation of their being so near, and offered 
us no invitation to his tent when we arrived. When 
we rode up the encampment, two of three of the 
old men came to meet us. . They saluted Hussein, 
kissing him on each side of the face, and shook 
hands with us, saying " Marhabbah " — " You are 
welcome ; " but, instead of inviting us to his tent, 
the sheich apologised for not dining with us, as he 
had many friends to entertain. In fact, his not 
inviting us to his tent was a piece of rudeness 
which we could only account for by supposing that 
we had put him a little out of humour. He had 
been trying all day to impress us with a very 
exaggerated idea of the dangers we were to encoun- 
ter, and, of course, of the value of his protection ; 
all which we had treated with great indifference, 
telling him that we had no fear of the fellahs of 
Wady Mousa ; that we would not run away from 
them, as some other travellers had done ; and that 
if he could not defend us, his protection, of which 
he boasted so much, was of no great value. 

Little Mohammed, however, lingered about our 
tents after his father left us. He had not for- 
gotten the feast at Akaba, and appeared more 



let. iv.] AND THEIR ENCAMPMENT. 117 

inclined to partake of our dinner than to trust to 
the provision which might have been made in the 
family tent. We had no difficulty in getting him, 
at least, to eat of our salt. 

Next morning (5th of March) Sheich Hussein 
appeared as anxious to hurry us away from the 
encampment, as he had been the day before to 
prevent our reaching it ; but we were resolved to 
see his tent, whether he would or not, and signified 
our intention in a way that there was no evading. 
He led the way rather reluctantly, and the cause 
of his inhospitality was at once apparent. His own 
tent, in which he would have been glad to have 
displayed himself in all his pride and glory, was at 
some distance in the mountains ; and his vanity 
would fain have prevented our witnessing the 
poverty of the little temporary abode to which his 
wife had come to meet him and her son. It was 
strange to find this instance of vanity in the 
Desert; and it must have been very powerful, to 
induce a Bedawee to risk his character for hospi- 
tality. 

We left the young sheich here, for his mother 
would not consent to his going into Wady Mousa. 
But the boy had set his heart on accompanying us, 
and it was most amusing to see the young Arab, 
who had been aping the warrior, with an immense 
knife stuck in his girdle, indulging in a good loud 
fit of crying at his disappointment. 



118 



STORY OF AN 



[let. IV. 



We had been accosted the evening before by a 
poor Egyptian, whose " looped and windowed 
raggedness^ betokened extreme poverty, and 
who appeared to be living among the Alloeens. 
He begged for a little tobacco, in a very humble 
tone ; and, having received it, we saw no more of 
him till the morning, when he came to ask that he 
might be permitted to follow our party, as the 
only means by which he could with safety return 
to Egypt, He continued with us during the whole 
of our journey, and returned to Egypt with Mr, 
Pell. He never asked for anything, but received 
with great thankfulness a few old pieces of clothing 
and the food which was given him ; for our servants 
never sat down to their own meal without handing 
a portion to the poor Egyptian,, When we started 
in the morning or halted at night, though often 
weary and foot-sore 9 he exerted himself in loading 
and unloading the camels, pitching the tents, and 
collecting firewood, with an activity and good- will 
which his countrymen are not much given to, and 
appeared anxious to repay ? by any service in his 
power, the food and protection he received. All 
this was so unlike a common beggar, that we 
became furious to know his history, and how he 
came to be at the encampment of the Alloeens. 

He was, he said, a fellah from Siout, and had 
come to Cairo with his family for the purpose of 



LET. IV.] 



EGYPTIAN WANDERER, 



119 



making the pilgrimage to Mecca ; and, in Decem- 
ber I think, had set out with the great caravan, 
leaving his wife and children to wait his return, 
It is the custom for the caravan to halt during the 
mid-day heat, and to resume their march in the 
evening ; and, on on'e of these occasions, overcome 
by the heat and fatigue, he slept so soundly that 
when he awoke the sun had long set, and the 
caravan was out of sight. Alone in the midst of 
the Desert, without food or water, and perfectly 
ignorant what direction to take, his situation was 
hopeless enough. 

He had followed for a while the track left by 
the caravan, but either the wind had obliterated the 
footmarks of the camels, or in his terror and per- 
plexity he had wandered still further from the 
way, and soon lost the track altogether. In this 
situation he was found by a party of Bedaweens, 
who robbed him of all his money and part of his 
clothes, and left him. After wandering for two 
days, he alighted on this encampment of the 
Alloeens, exhausted by hunger and fatigue. They 
gave him food, and had allowed him to remain 
ever since at their tents. 

We received here another, and, as we thought, 
an important addition to our party, in the person 
of Sheich Abed, one of the chiefs of the Fellaheen 
of Wady Mousa. He was a little grey-bearded 



120 



SCENERY OF THE VALLEY. 



[let. IV. 



old man, with a high aquiline nose, and small 
black eyes ; and so far from having anything very 
savage or ferocious in his appearance, he seemed 
to be a poor stupid body ; spoke in a low subdued 
voice, and appeared to stand very much in awe of 
our friend Hussein, who, on his part, treated him 
with very little respect. He had evidently been 
brought here to meet us, and we concluded that 
there must be some understanding between him 
and Hussein about our visit to Petra, and that we 
had no danger to apprehend from his tribe while 
we kept him with us. Hussein, however, assured 
us that we had less to fear from the Fellaheen 
than from some of the other tribes, who were 
notorious robbers, and with whom the Alloeens 
were on evil terms. 

The valley, as we proceeded, still displayed the 
same mixture of barren sand and patches of 
herbage ; and was broken and intersected in many 
places by deep gravelly hollows, resembling the 
dry bed of some winter torrent. 

About mid-day we passed some ruins, of which 
we could not determine the character ; and in 
about two hours further, reached a high mass of 
sandstone rock rising abruptly from the valley, 
which we had seen at some distance. Steps rudely 
cut in the rock lead to the summit, where we found 
a small excavated chamber. It has probably served 



LET. IV.] 



VALLEY OF EL GHOYETt. 



121 



as a watch-tower, from which any hostile force 
advancing by the Wady Araba might be seen. 

The range of mountains called Gebel Shera and 
Gebel Hesma, the Mount Seir of Scripture, bound 
the valley on the east. The first mention of Mount 
Seir is in the xiv. chap, of Genesis, when it was 
inhabited by the Horim, one 6f the nations whose 
territory was ravaged by Chedarlaomcr and his 
allies. After the children of Esau had extirpated 
the original inhabitants, it took the name of the 
" Land of Edom," which, from at first compre- 
hending the district of Mount Seir only, appears 
to have extended progressively with the rising 
power of the Edomites, till it reached to Ezion- 
gaber, which, in the time of Solomon, we find 
included in the land of Edom. 

Near the high rock which I have described we 
turned into the valley called El Ghoyer, which 
divides the range of Mount Seir, and encamped at 
the foot of the mountains which environ the ancient 
city of Petra, and in sight of Mount Hor. 

The northern part of the Wady Araba is 
generally believed to be the Desert of Zin, in 
which the Israelites were encamped at Kadesh, 
when they applied to the King of Edom for per- 
mission to pass through his country ; and as this 
valley of El Ghoyer is the only practicable passage 
for any large body of men, it was probably the 

G 



122 



SITE OF KADESH. 



[let. IV. 



" King's high way " referred to by Moses in his 
message. When the King of Edom had refused 
to grant them a passage through his country, they 
appear to have fallen back " by the way of the 
plain before Elath," and, turning the southern 
extremity of the mountains, to have proceeded 
northward along the eastern boundary of Mount 
Seir. 

Nothing appears to be known 9 although much 
has been conjectured, respecting the situation of 
Kadesh. It seems to be generally supposed that 
there were two places of that name, Kadesh 
Barnea, from whence the spies were sent, and the 
Kadesh referred to above. The former is placed 
somewhere in the desert of Paran, on the southern 
boundary of Palestine, and the latter between the 
head of the gulf of Akaba and Mount Hor; 
because the Israelites are said to have " removed 
from Ezion Gaber, and pitched in the desert of 
Zin, which is Kadesh," and then to have " removed 
from Kadesh, and pitched in Mount Hor." But 
Kadesh is called " a city in the uttermost border" 
of Edom ; and I find it placed in some maps to 
the north-west of Mount Hor, in about lat. 30° 
20" Ion. 35° 20', where it would be on the borders 
of the desert of Paran, and the desert of Zin, and 
might, perhaps, with equal propriety, have been 
said to be in either. And the supposition that the 



LET. IV.] 



SHEICH HUSSEIN. 



123 



Kadesh mentioned in Numbers, xx. 1, was the 
same with Kadesh Barnea appears to receive some 
confirmation from the reason assigned for King 
Arad, the Canaanite, fighting against Israel. He 
-* heard tell that Israel came by the way of the 
spies." 

During the evening Sheich Hussein tried every 
means to impress us with an alarming idea of the 
danger of entering Wady Mousa ; and proposed 
that the tents and baggage should be left here, and 
that we should go with him alone into Petra, that 
we might more easily make our escape should the 
Fellaheen come upon us. This, however, we posi- 
tively refused to agree to. We had already found 
that there was no confidence to be placed in any- 
thing that the sheich said We were convinced 
that he had no fear of the Fellaheen himself, and 
that we were safe enough under his protection ; 
but we suspected that some understanding existed 
between them, and that his sole object was to hurry 
us away, that he might get to Hebron and receive 
his money. 

On leaving our tents next morning (March 6th) 
we were surprised to find the camels straggling 
about the valley, feeding on the low bushes ; and 
no preparations on foot for starting as usual. 
Hussein now came up and desired us to point out 
what things we wished to take into Wady Mousa, 
g 2 



124 



SHEICH HUSSEIN, 



[let. IV. 



and told us to take nothing that was not absolutely 
necessary ; the tents, baggage, and camels, must 
remain here till we returned* But we had told 
him our determination, and we were resolved to 
stick to it. We answered that we would enter 
Petra, as we had already said, with our whole 
party, and pitch our tents there ; that we would 
not leave a man, nor a tent-pin, nor a stick, 
behind us ; that we had his written engagement, 
and that if he did not perform it to the letter, we 
should not consider ourselves bound to pay him 
the 3000 piastres which were due on his arrival at 
Hebron. 

" By Allah! O Effendee !" exclaimed the sheich, 
turning to Mr. Pell, " you are mad. You are 
all mad — all you Franks, but I never heard of such 
madness as this. Do you all want to be killed ? " 

" What are these Fellahs, that they should kill 
us, when we are under your protection, O Sheich P 

" Who are they?" burst out the sheich. 
" What are they? May their fathers be accursed ! — 
but you cannot do this — I will not go— other 
Franks leave all these arrangements to me, and so 
must you." 

" See, O Sheich," we replied, " we are under 
your protection, and not under your command — 
we do not care what other Franks have done. 
We have told you what we will do ; shall w T e say 
a thing, and not do it ? " 



LET. IV.] 



ROMANTIC GLEN. 



125 



We theil called to our servants to get down the 
tents, and load the camels as usual. Hussein now 
declared that there was no path by which a loaded 
camel could pass. " Well," we said, " when we 
find the road impracticable we shall stop, but not 
till then." 

At eight o'clock we got the whole caravan in 
motion. Hussein was in a savage bad humour, 
and kept growling within his beard, or complaining 
loudly that he had never been so treated before ; 
and every now and then turned round in his saddle 
to tell us that we were mad — we were all mad — 
by Allah ! we were the last Franks who should 
ever enter Wady Mousa. 

Striking at once into the mountains, we ascended 
a narrow, romantic glen, full of beautiful oleanders 
and large bushes of broom, covered with white 
blossom ; a delightful contrast with the desolate 
scenery we had just left. The cry of the mountain 
partridge and the cuckoo cheered us as we rode 
along ; numbers of small birds were seen flitting 
from bush to bush, and our ears were soon greeted 
with the delightful sound of running water. After 
passing through this and another similar valley, 
we came to the more difficult part of the ascent to 
Petra. Although the path was not an easy one, 
we had as yet found no great difficulty in getting 
forward the loaded camels. We had dismounted, 



126 



ENCOUNTER WITH 



[let. IV. 



however, and were walking slowly along a narrow 
path above one of those beautiful glens which I 
have described, when Hussein pointed to a sort of 
foot-track across the mountain, which he said was 
a shorter road than that by which the camels 
must go ; observing, at the same time, with a kind 
of sneer, that as we had no fear of the Fellaheen 
we might walk on, and he would join us again in 
two hours. 

We at once agreed to this proposal, and taking 
a servant to carry our breakfast, and one of the 
Alloeens as a guide, we began to ascend the path. 
The scenery as we proceeded became more gloomy, 
but very grand ; not so much from the height of 
the mountains, which are inferior to many in 
Europe, but from their wild and highly picturesque 
forms. Leaving the path we had followed along 
the verge of one of those deep ravines, filled with 
luxuriant oleanders and laurel, many hundred feet 
below, we crossed a ridge of the mountain, and 
proceeded along the banks of a little brook which 
winds through the elevated plain at the base of 
Mount Hor. We had reached the middle of this 
plain, and were beginning to descend the declivity 
towards Wady Mousa, when we heard loud shouts 
behind us ; and, looking back, found that we were 
pursued by a party of Arabs, who called loudly to 
us to stop. At first we thought they were the 



LET. IV . ] 



HOSTILE ARABS. 



127 



Alloeens, and that some accident had happened to 
the camels ; but, as they approached, there was 
no mistaking their character. We had fallen into 
the hands of the Edomites, those Fellaheen, of 
whose savage disposition we had heard and read 
so much ; and there was nothing for it but to put 
on as determined a countenance as possible, and 
endeavour to open a negotiation with them. We 
had one of the Alloeens with us, and in that we 
felt some security, as any violence offered to him 
or us would have been resented by the whole 
tribe. 

Our assailants, of course, far outnumbered us. 
There were fifteen of them, as savage-looking fel- 
lows as one would desire to meet with, all armed 
with guns, and with the long crooked Arab knife 
in their girdles, They quickly surrounded our 
little party ; and, all speaking together, and gesti- 
culating with great vehemence, told us to go back, 
threatening us with death in every shape if we 
attempted to proceed. But the Arabs are tremen- 
dous talkers ; and as they did not, on the first 
onset, offer us any personal violence, we concluded 
that they had no wish to come to blows, if it could 
be avoided. 

We took advantage of the first lull in the storm 
of words, to ask why we were stopped in this 
violent manner. On this, an old Arab, who wore 



128 



ENCOUNTER WITH 



[let. iv. 



a Turkish sabre, with about three inches of the 
point protruding from the end of the scabbard, 
and announced himself as the sheich, desired us 
to sit down ; and, at the same time, seated him- 
self on the ground. When we had seated our- 
selves, and the whole party had ranged themselves 
in a circle round us, the sheich favoured us with a 
formal oration, which lasted about ten minutes. 
Having first inquired IsmaeFs name, he addressed 
himself to him. 

" Ya Hanaffee," he said, " know that there 
are no evil intentions to you in our minds ; but 
you must turn back. You shall not enter our 
country. If you persist in going on to Wady 
Mousa, we tell you plainly it is at the peril of 
your own lives. We know you come with Sheich 
Hussein, the Alloeen. He thinks to break laws 
that are respected by all the tribes, and to go 
wherever he pleases, because he is a sheich of a 
great tribe. He has brought Franks into our 
country, and has got much money from them, 
which ought to have been given to us. Before we 
could come upon them, he and the Franks have 
always made their escape ; but now we have got 
you in our power — Inshallah ! we shall have satis- 
faction for what is past." 

This was the substance of the sheich's speech, 
which was embellished with the usual quantity of 



LET. IV.] 



HOSTILE ARABS. 



129 



"Wallahs" and "Inshallahs" and "Mashallahs" 
and delivered with great vehemence, and not a 
little dignity. The whole party had appeared 
highly excited, and as the old man every now and 
then slapped his hand on the sabre that lay across 
his knees, a murmur ran round his audience in 
approbation of what he said, and not, we thought, 
in the kindliest feeling to us. 

It was certainly rather a nervous situation to 
find oneself in ; and I am not sure but, at the 
first onset, some anxious thoughts may have crossed 
my mind about my own comfortable fireside ; but, 
if so, it was but for a moment, and I soon felt 
not unpleasantly excited by the adventure. I felt 
that all depended on our taking the matter very 
coolly, that they would not dare openly to attack 
us under the protection of the Alloeens, and that 
as long as we kept from violence, either offered, or 
resented by force, there was no danger. 

In answer to the sheich, we said that we had 
come from Akaba with the Alloeens, and meant to 
pass through Wady Mousa, on our way to Hebron 
and Jerusalem — that we were strangers, and igno- 
rant of their laws, and could not know where the 
country of one tribe ended and another began. 
We acknowledged that his complaint appeared 
reasonable ; and that if money was paid for passing 
through his country, part of it, at least, should be 

Gr 3 



130 



ARRIVAL OF SHEICH HUSSEIN, [let. iv. 



paid to him. At the same time we could not pay 
him and Sheich Hussein too, but if he would wait 
till the Alloeens came up, we would try to arrange 
the matter between them. We then rose, and 
desired Salem to prepare our breakfast. 

The sheich refused our invitation to partake of 
our breakfast, telling us very plainly that he would 
not eat with us, " because he did not know what 
might happen when the Alloeens came up;" a kind 
hint, that if there was to be fighting, he did not 
wish to be under any conscientious scruples about 
attacking us. But an Arab can hardly resist 
coffee, and after some hesitation he was persuaded 
to drink some of ours. He then turned to Ismael, 
saying, " Ya Hanaffee ! when that old fox comes, 
we may fight — do not you interfere, and no evil 
shall befall you. You are under my protection." 
— " And who," we asked, " is Sheich Abed whom 
we met at Hussein's tents V " He is a majnoon*, 
he is a child, he is nobody," said the sheich. 

We sat for nearly an hour before we saw Hus- 
sein and his merry men come "branking o'er the 
brae." The Fellahs immediately rose to receive 
him. The parties were nearly equal in point of 
numbers, if we and our servants kept aloof, and 
we were quite prepared to witness a skirmish. 
I cannot say we were disappointed, but we did 



* A fool. 



LET. IV.] 



AND ITS EFFECT. 



131 



certainly feel not a little surprised, when Hussein 
dismounted from his dromedary, and, walking 
quietly up to the Fellah sheich, threw his arms over 
his neck, and kissed him on each side of the face. 
His presence appeared all at once to calm the 
excitement of the whole party ; their courage had 
" oozed out at their fingers '-ends/' and they stood 
looking on in a kind of gloomy silence. After 
saying a few words in a low voice to the Fellah 
sheich, Hussein turned to us, telling us to mount- 
that the way was open to us. 

Sheich Magabel, the Fellah, mounted on one of 
the Alloeen's dromedaries, rode beside Hussein ; 
our late enemies appeared suddenly converted into 
allies, and the whole party moved on together to 
Petra. We were not altogether satisfied, how- 
ever, with the new appearance which matters had 
assumed ; and felt a little suspicious of the good 
understanding which seemed so suddenly to have 
sprung up between Hussein and Sheich Magabel ; 
and rather doubtful whether the whole affair had 
not been premeditated. Poor old Sheich Abed 
was left to draggle on behind with his donkey, 
nobody paying him the least attention. 

Before descending into the valley of Petra, we 
passed several excavated tombs, and, in a horizon- 
tal sheet of rock, several graves of the ordinary 
size, and three or four feet in depth. 



132 



VALLEY AND RUINS OF 



[let. IV. 



We entered the valley from the south at a point 
from which a view of nearly the whole of it burst 
at once on our sight. My expectations were far 
more than realised. Much as I had heard of the 
wonderful excavations of Petra, I had formed a 
very inadequate idea of their state of preservation, 
of the number of sculptured fa9ades, porticoes, 
and fanciful designs which surround the valley, or 
of the extent of the valley itself. It is certainly 
one of the most wonderful scenes in the world. 
The eye wanders in amazement from the stupen- 
dous rampart of rocks which surrounds the valley 
to the porticoes and ornamented doorways sculp- 
tured on its surface. The dark yawning entrances 
of the temples and tombs, and the long ranges of 
excavated chambers, give an air of emptiness and 
desolation to the scene, which I cannot well de- 
scribe : it brought to my mind the prophecy, " I 
will stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and 
the stones of emptiness."" But in the valley itself, 
the patches of green corn among the ruins, the 
stream bordered with oleander and willow, the 
sweet sound of the running water, and the cry of 
the cuckoo and the partridge, were all delightful 
and refreshing after the silence and dreary solitude 
of the Desert. 

We congratulated each other that we were 
entering Petra under such favourable circum- 



let. iv.] PETRA, OR WADY MOUSA. J 33 

stances, in company with the very Fellaheen so 
much dreaded by former travellers, and with every 
prospect of being able to explore all the wonders 
of the place undisturbed. But we soon found that 
there had been a design either to exclude us from the 
valley altogether, or to hurry us away before we had 
time to examine any of the ruins in detail. Had we 
adopted Hussein's proposal to enter Petra with 
him alone, we should no doubt have been hurried 
away before we had been many hours in the place, 
as Mr. Stephens and as Lord Lindsay were ; and 
having by our determined opposition to Hussein 
frustrated his original plan, it was soon evident 
that an attempt would be made to extort money 
from us, or to prevent our visiting any of the 
excavations. 

Having selected a favourable position for our 
encampment, above the southern bank of the 
stream, and commanding a view of the whole 
valley, Mr. Roberts strolled away alone among 
the ruins, while we were arranging the tents and 
baggage. He had scarcely seated himself and 
opened his sketch-book, when he was interrupted 
by three or four wild-looking Arabs, and thought 
it most prudent to return to the tents. We then 
went altogether to one of the temple-looking ex- 
cavations on the eastern cliffs, and were scrambling 
up the bank of loose stones and rubbish before the 



134 



VALLEY AND RUINS OF 



[let. IV. 



entrance, when three Fellahs and a very ill-looking 
negro came from the interior, armed with clubs, 
and, in the most violent and menacing manner, 
opposed our further progress. In short, we found 
that a guard had been placed at every corner, and 
it seemed as if they were determined to confine us 
to our own tents while we remained. Instead of 
a single solitary Arab, wandering among the ruins, 
as seen by some former visitors to Petra, they 
appeared to be in considerable force ; and it was 
evident that some plot was on foot, from which we 
might find it difficult to extricate ourselves. 

We were not much afraid of an open attack, 
for we saw that Sheich Hussein was a person of 
whom they stood in some dread, and any violence 
offered to us must have occasioned a feud with the 
Alloeens ; but although we did not apprehend any 
danger to our lives, we were by no means sure 
that Hussein himself might not connive at a design 
on our purses, if money could be extorted, either 
by exciting our fear or restraining our curiosity. 
It was difficult to imagine how the Fellahs had got 
such timely intimation of our approach, as to make 
all this preparation, unless from the Alloeens; 
and knowing how much it is his interest to make 
the approach to Petra as difficult as possible, and 
to hurry travellers away as soon as he can, we had 
little doubt that Sheich Hussein himself was at 



LET. IV.] 



PETRA, OR WADY MOUSA. 



135 



the bottom of the whole scheme. We were re- 
solved, therefore, to carry the obstinacy and mad- 
ness, of which he had complained in the morning, 
as far as we could with any appearance of safety. 

We immediately returned to our tents, talking 
very loud, and assuming as great an appearance of 
excitement as the Arabs themselves, and sent for 
the two sheichs, who on entering the tent looked 
somewhat surprised at the formidable and rather 
ostentatious display of arms which we were pre- 
paring. Magabel looked on in silence, but Hussein 
was evidently a little embarrassed. He turned to 
Ismael, who was ramming the charge into a pistol 
with great energy, and, laying his hand on his arm, 
asked what in the name of Allah we were going to 
do ; did we all want to be killed ? " Shoof ya 
sheich al Arab," replied he, " you know that we 
came to see these old habitations, and Inshallah ! 
we shall see them. What are these Fellahs that 
they should prevent us ? We are under your 
protection, now let us see what it is worth." — 
" Stay, stay," said Hussein, evidently getting 
nervous, " be patient, O Effendee. Put away 
these pistols— stay in the tent — let me speak to 
Sheich Magabel. Inshallah ! everything shall be 
done that you want." Well, we said, we would 
wait a quarter of an hour ; if he had not then 
made some arrangement with Sheich Magabel — 



136 



VALLEY AND RUINS OF 



[let. IV. 



if we were obliged to leave Wady Mousa — he had 
broken his engagement, and forfeited the money 
to be paid him at Hebron. 

In a few minutes the two sheichs returned, and 
having seated themselves, Magabel reminded us 
that we had no right to come into his country ; 
and that the Alloeens, as Sheich Hussein knew 
very well, had no right to bring us there. Not 
wishing to appear inhospitable, he had allowed us 
to enter Wady Mousa, and to rest our party on 
their journey; " and now," he continued, " you 
may rest here for a day, or two days if you please, 
but you must remain in your tents." All this we 
knew was only the prelude to a demand for money. 
We replied, that we had come from a great 
distance to see the old habitations in the valley — 
that we had paid Sheich Hussein for bringing us 
here for that purpose ; if he had no right to bring 
us, he was to blame and not us ; but having come 
to see the ruins, we would see them. 

" But what would you do, O Effendee V said 
Sheich Magabel ; " will you risk your own lives 
and ours for a little money ?' 

" No," we replied, " we will not leave Wady 
Mousa without giving you a suitable present." 

" Tayeeb, well ; but as your present must be 
divided among my men, it would be better to 
settle the amount of it now." 



IV .] PETRA, OR WADY MOUSA. 



137 



As there was evidently no evading this demand, 
we asked the sheich what sum he expected for his 
permission to remain, and protection during our 
stay. 

" You are my friends," he said, " what is money 
between us ? give me a thousand piastres # ; I 
would ask twice as much from any one else." 

" A thousand piastres ! a thousand piastres ! 
O Sheich ! " we all exclaimed at once, " what 
do you take us for, or what are we, that you talk 
of such sums of money? If you would have a 
thousand piastres from us, you must come to Musr 
for it. We have a few hundred piastres here. 
We will give you three hundred ; if you will take 
it, well — if not, we have no more to say." 

After a little hesitation our offer, as we had 
expected, was accepted ; and we made a regular 
agreement with the sheich that we were to remain 
as long as we pleased, and to go wherever we 
pleased ; and that he made himself responsible 
for the safety of ourselves, our servants, and all 
our property. While we were paying over the 
money, old Sheich Abed entered, and seated him- 
self near the door of the tent. He looked on in 
silence while Sheich Magabel counted over the 
pieces of gold ; but, when he saw him deliberately 
fold up the money in an old handkerchief and 



* About 10/. 



138 VALLEY AND RUINS OF [ LET . IV . 

stuff it into his bosom, the old man started on his 
feet, exclaiming, " What, am I forgotten ? Am 
I nobody here — am I to have nothing ?" " You ! " 
replied the other, quietly adjusting his dress, 
" you are nobody— you are no more here than a 
little child/' We said, however, that we intended 
the money to be divided between them; and as 
Sheich Hussein also interfered in behalf of old 
Abed, Magabel paid him over 150 piastres. But 
he tossed down the money with an air that seemed 
to say, " Take it ! but you shan't keep it long." 

The best part of the afternoon was occupied 
with this negotiation ; and, about four o'clock, 
we left the tents, taking two of the Arabs with 
us, and proceeded towards the ravine in which 
the beautiful excavation, called the Khasne, stands. 
As we walked on, we met different parties of the 
Fellahs leaving the posts at which they had been 
stationed, exchanged salutations with them, and 
everything appeared to be now placed on an 
amicable footing. 

Passing the theatre, and taking a hurried glance 
at the surrounding excavations, we followed the 
stream into a narrow defile, overgrown with 
luxuriant oleanders. Nothing can be more wildly 
romantic than this pass, or more unlikely to 
terminate, as it does, in one of the most extra- 
ordinary works of art in the world. In fact, the 



let. iv.] PETRA, OR WADY MOUSA. 



139 



Khasne owes much of its effect to the suddenness 
with which it bursts on the sight, and the strange 
contrast which its fanciful design, and the fresh- 
ness of its colour, form with the rugged and 
weather-stained crags by which it is surrounded. 
Standing, as it were, in an immense niche in the 
face of the rock, the whole edifice has been won- 
derfully preserved from the effects of the weather ; 
while the fine colour of the stone, which is a 
beautiful pink, and the perfect preservation of 
the most minute details, and delicate carving, 
give it all the appearance of having been recently 
finished. On a second glance, you observe that 
one column of the portico has been thrown down, 
and that the statues with which it has been orna- 
mented are much dilapidated ; but this can hardly 
be the effect of time alone, which has left untouched 
parts far more delicate and more exposed. 

The portico consists of four columns with Corin- 
thian capitals, supporting an entablature and 
pediment richly sculptured. The columns are about 
thirty-five feet in height, and three feet in diameter; 
and on each side of the portico a pilaster of the 
same order is sculptured on the rock, and the whole 
design extended so as to form a colonnade of six 
pillars. Between each of these pilasters and the 
column next to it, there has been a colossal eques- 
trian figure in alto-rilievo. These are both much 



140 



VALLEY AND RUINS OF 



[let. it. 



mutilated. The entablature is ornamented with 
vases connected by festoons of flowers ; and in the 
centre of the pediment stands an eagle with 
extended wings. The superstructure is rather 
fanciful. It consists of a small circular temple, 
supported by Corinthian pillars, and surmounted by 
an urn, flanked by two small square temples of the 
same order. All the friezes and capitals are very 
richly sculptured. 

The steps up to the portico are broken, and over- 
grown with grass and wild flowers. At each end 
of the vestibule there is an excavated chamber 
about sixteen feet long, by five or six in width. 
The doors into these apartments, as well as that of 
the principal chamber, are very richly ornamented. 
The great chamber is about forty-five feet square, 
and perhaps twenty-five in height. Opposite the 
entrance is a smaller apartment, and on each side 
of the principal chamber two others. The entrance 
admits sufficient light into the great chamber, 
which, as well as the smaller ones, is without any 
ornament. 

There is nothing in the interior of this structure 
to indicate its having been used as a tomb ; and 
from the style of the architecture, and the arrange- 
ment of the chambers, my impression is that it was 
a temple. Such a structure, entirely sculptured 
from the solid rock, is altogether a very wonderful 



LET. IV.] 



PETRA, OR WADY. MOUSA. 



141 



effort of human labour and skill ; and the beauty 
of the details, and the freshness imparted to the 
whole by the fine colour of the stone, strike one 
more forcibly from the wild and romantic character 
of the scenery by which it is surrounded. It is 
called by the Arabs El Khasne Faraoun, " the 
treasury of Pharaoh and as they imagine the 
urn by which it is surmounted to be filled with 
gold, many a shot has been fired at it in the hope 
of bringing down the coveted treasure, 
f On the following morning (March 7th), Mr, 
Roberts and I set out pretty early on a ramble 
among the ruins in the neighbourhood of our 
encampment. We had no intention of wandering 
far from the tents ; but, led on by the increasing 
interest of the scene, from one object to another, 
we soon found ourselves at the entrance of a ravine, 
into which the brook of Wady Mousa flows, at the 
western end of the valley. It was, perhaps, not 
over-prudent to wander so far alone, but, in the 
excitement of the moment, we had forgotten our 
resolution not to venture far from the tents without 
protection ; and we continued to scramble on, over 
rocks and ruins, till we were out of sight, and far 
out of hearing of our friends. 

We found the banks of the stream, after it 
enters this ravine, so thickly overgrown with 
oleander and other shrubs, and the passage so 



142 



VALLEY AND RUINS OF 



[let IV. 



encumbered by large masses of fallen rock, as to 
prevent our proceeding very far. On retracing our 
steps, we came to a path which led us to an ele- 
vated terrace, but in the face of the rock, in front 
of a row of excavations. None of these displayed 
any architectural ornament, but were simple, 
square apartments ; one of the largest being 
divided by a built partition, Following this ter- 
race, we came at length to a place where the rock 
had fallen down, and beyond which we could not 
pass, The precipice sunk at once into a deep and 
gloomy chasm below ; while the rock, on the oppo- 
site side of the ravine, rose in an almost unbroken 
line like a stupendous wall. The excavations ex- 
tended in every direction. In some places we 
could see fragments of flights of steps, and in 
others the mere indications of former " dwellings 
in the clefts of the rock," which had long since 
mouldered away from the face of the cliff. 

We had not seen a single Arab during our 
walk ; but as we approached the tents the party 
there appeared to be considerably increased, and 
in some confusion. On leaving his tent in the 
morning, Mr. Pell had observed a fellow skulking 
rather suspiciously among the rocks immediately 
above our encampment ; presently two or three 
long guns appeared above the bushes; another, 
and another Arab, came creeping on in the same 



LET. IV.] 



PETBA, OR WADY MOUSA. 



143 



stealthy manner ; and at last the whole party 
started up, and with loud shouts rushed past the 
tents to the bivouac of our Bedaween allies. 
They were a branch of the Fellaheen of Wady 
Mousa, who, having heard of our arrival^ and of 
the " black mail" we had paid, had come to 
demand their share of the money. The tumult 
was at its height when we reached the tents ; one 
savage-looking fellow had brought the muzzle of 
his gun within a few inches of old Sheieh Abed\s 
breast ? and the whole valley rang with their 
clamour. The Alloeens kept aloof from the con- 
test, and Sheich Magabel looked on in silence. 
He was either too dangerous a person to meddle 
with, or, which is not improbable, he had himself 
set on this party to rob old Abed of the 150 
piastres, which had been so unwillingly yielded to 
him the day before. The whole brunt of the 
attack, however, fell on the old man. After a few 
vain attempts to remonstrate with his turbulent 
clansmen, he pulled the money from his bosom, 
and dashing it to the ground^ cursed them and 
their fathers to the lowest depths of Jehennem ; 
while they gathered up the pieces of money, and 
sat down to divide the plunder. 

To this succeeded a scene of which the quiet 
and orderly proceedings appeared the more extra- 
ordinary after the tumult and violence which we had 



VALLEY AND RUINS OF 



[let. IV. 



just witnessed. A dispute arose about a donkey 
which one of the new-comers v&s said to have 
stolen, and the three sheichs were called on to sit 
as judges on the case. The whole party were 
seated on the ground ; and old Abed, who had 
just been robbed with such barefaced violence, 
opened this Arab court of justice with great grav- 
ity, by reciting part of the introductory chapter 
of the Koran, and what appeared to be some of 
the Bedaween laws, to which his audience listened 
with perfect decorum and great attention. While 
speaking, he held in his hand a drawn sabre, which 
at the conclusion of his address he laid down : it 
was then taken up by another ; and so on by each 
successive speaker ; and no one attempted to in- 
terrupt him who held the sword. When the case 
was settled to the apparent Satisfaction of all par- 
ties, our unwelcome visiters left us, disappearing 
among the rocks as suddenly as they nad appeared. 
We could not learn with any certainty who they 
were, or who Sheich Magabel was. He called 
himself guardian of the tombs. Hussein said that 
he was a notorious robber; and old Abed shook 
his head and groaned when we put the same ques- 
tion to him. Nobody, he said, hatl a right to 
receive tribute there bukhimself ; that he was the 
sheich of Wady Mousa, but that the men whom 
we had seen in the morning were a branch of the 
tribe who had revolted from his authority. 



let. iv.] PETRA, OR WADY MOUSA. 145 

After breakfast, we paid a second visit to the 
Khasne ; and while Mr. Roberts was busy with 
his sketch-book, Ismael and I went to explore the 
ravine called El Syk, which forms the only entrance 
to Petra from the east. It opens immediately in 
front of the Khasne ; but the passage is so narrow, 
and the entrance so choked up by the magnificent 
oleander^ which abound in every part of the 
valley, that it might easily be passed unobserved. 
It would be difficult, by any description, to convey 
a correct idea of this extraordinary passage. It 
seems as if the mountain had been rent asunder 
by some terrible natural convulsion, leaving this 
chasm, which extends for more than a mile in 
length, and is in no part above twelve or fifteen 
feet wide. In m^ny places it is much narrower, 
and has been artificially widened, and the marks 
of the ch ; .jl remain perfectly distinct over the 
whole surface of these places, on both sides of the 
chasm. The rocks on each side rise to about a 
hundred feet in height, and in some places their 
rugged summits nearly meet, and cast a dark and 
gloomy shadow into the defile. Ivy and long 
trailing brambles hang from the rocky walls of 
this romantic avenue, ar I the wild fig-tree is seen 
on the top, waving its branches in the wind, which 
is never felt at the bottom of the ravine. The 
bottom is filkd by the brook which flows through 

H 



146 



VALLEY AND KUINS OP 



[let. iy. 



the valley of Wady Mousa ; but the waters were 
low, and we had only now and then to wade in the 
bed of the stream. On each side a channel is cut 
in the rock, above the level of the rivulet, to pre- 
vent the whole of the water from being absorbed 
by its sandy bed in summer, that a constant supply 
might be conveyed to the city. Several niches are 
cut in the rock on both sides, varying from one to 
three or four feet in height, with pilasters on each 
side. They are at irregular distances, and not all 
upon the same level ; and in one or two there is 
something like the remains of the base of a statue. 
From the remains of masonry which lie in the bed 
of the stream, or are heaped against the sides of 
the chasm, it appears to have been covered with a 
pavement. 

About two-thirds of the way between the entrance 
opposite the Khasne and the further extremity of 
El Syk, the rocks are connected at top by a bridge 
of a single arch. Even at that height there appear 
to be some remains of building ; and it seems more 
probable that this bridge formed a regular com- 
munication between the opposite sides of the ravine, 
than that it was placed there merely for ornament. 
Below it, on each side, there is a niche for the 
reception of a statue; but the bridge itself is 
without ornament, or anything to give it the 
character of a triumphal arch ; and, indeed, the 



let. iv.] PETRA, OR WADY MOUSA. 147 

situation seems to be rather ill chosen for such a 
structure. After passing this arch the rocks are 
lower, and the passage opens into a wide meadow, 
dotted with bushes of oleander, and watered by the 
river of Wady Mousa. 

As we were returning through the Syk, we met 
two Arabs who appeared to be of the party who 
had visited our tents in the morning. Ismael and 
I were quite alone, and, had it been possible, would 
very gladly have saluted them and passed on ; but 
the way was too narrow for us to pass if they 
pleased to stop us ; which they did, and asked, not 
in the most agreeable manner, for gunpowder. 
We said we had none ; it was in our tent. " There 
is some here," said one of them, putting his hand 
on Ismael's pistols, " give us that." " No, no; tell 
him," said I, " that when it comes out of the pistol, 
hell not be able to gather it up." They both 
laughed at this reply, and passed on ; but I should 
have been sorry to have met them alone and quite 
unarmed, or if they had known that the pistols 
were not loaded ; a fact which I thought my friend 
Ismael was on the point of betraying. 

From the Khasne we returned between rows of 
excavated tombs, or dwellings, it is difficult to say 
which, to the theatre. It is an immense semi- 
circular excavation, containing thirty-three rows 
of benches, and capable of accommodating between 
h 2 



148 



VALLEY AND RUINS OF 



[let. IV. 



three and four thousand persons. It is in a won- 
derful state of preservation, the benches and the 
steps leading from the lower to the upper tiers 
of seats being nearly entire. Above the highest 
tier, there is a sort of corridor in which there are 
several doors leading to small excavated chambers. 
Above this the rock rises to a sufficient height to 
have shaded the whole audience from > the sun. 
There are no remains of the stage, which was pro- 
bably built, but the bases of the columns in the 
proscenium still remain in their original places, 
hidden amongst the grass and wild flowers. 

Nearly opposite the theatre is an excavation in 
a large detached mass of rock, with an overhang- 
ing frieze of the Egyptian character, supported by 
two pilasters. There are several of the same 
character, and many others of various dimensions 
and differing in design ; but it would be tedious to 
describe them all. A little further to the north is 
one of more elegant design, and in very good pre- 
servation. The front presents an entablature and 
pediment, surmounted by an urn, and supported 
by four columns. The entrance is some ten or 
twelve feet above the level of the ground ; and the 
front of the edifice recedes considerably within the 
general plane of the cliffs, so that the rock extends 
about fifteen feet forwards on each side. This rock, 
on each side, is hewn out into an open gallery sup- 



LET. IT.] 



PETRA, OR WADY MOUSA. 



149 



ported by five pillars ; and the ground between 
these colonnades is supported on two tiers of built 
arches, forming a sort of platform or terrace in 
front of the entrance. 

Among the numerous excavations in the cliffs 
which rise at the eastern end of the valley, there 
are two which surpass the others in extent and 
in beauty of design. One of these is somewhat like 
the Khasne, at least the upper part of it ; but 
instead of the beautiful portico of that temple, it 
presents a front of eight Corinthian pillars. It m 
neither so elaborately ornamented, nor in such 
good preservation, as the Khasne. The other is 
of larger dimensions, and has four entrances lead- 
ing to the same number of apartments. The 
entrances are handsomely sculptured, and sup- 
ported by pilasters. The whole front has been 
four stories in height, and a row of fourteen 
pilasters extends across each of the three upper 
stories ; but part of the rock has fallen down, leav- 
ing only two or three pillars of the highest tier, and 
it may possibly have risen to a greater height. The 
interior, like all the others which I entered, is 
hewn smooth, but without any ornament ; and 
there are, in all the apartments, several recesses, 
about four feet above the floor, probably for the 
reception of the dead. 

In the valley in which the principal part of the 



150 



VALLEY AND RUINS OF 



[let. IV. 



city stood, you walk over mounds of ruins, of 
which so complete has been the destruction, that 
literally not one stone stands upon another. On 
the rocky bank overhanging the southern side of 
the stream, are the remains of a temple of large 
dimensions. No part of the building remains 
standing, but the bases of a colonnade along the 
front of the rocky platform show the extent of 
the building ; and fragments of the pillars are 
thrown confusedly among the mass of ruins. 

A little further west, the understructure of a 
bridge is distinctly to be traced ; and beyond it 
are the ruins of a triumphal arch. Among the 
mass of fallen masonry there lies a large stone 
bearing a figure with extended wings, which pro- 
bably occupied one of the angles above the centre 
arch. From the pilasters which remain, and 
fragments scattered around, the whole structure 
appears to have been overloaded with ornament. 

A broad pavement of large flags extends west- 
ward from the triumphal arch to the temple called 
by the Arabs Kaszr Bint Faraoun, cc the palace of 
Pharaoh's daughter." It is the only constructed 
edifice of which any considerable portion remains 
standing: Part of the cornice and frieze on the 
eastern side remain entire ; the interior appears 
to have been rather profusely ornamented with 
bas-reliefs in stucco; and there is nothing very 



let. iv.] PETRA, OR WADY MOUSA. 



151 



interesting or attractive about the ruin, except 
that it is the only one remaining of this vast city 
which is not levelled with the ground. 

But the most extraordinary of all the monu- 
ments of Petra, is that called by the Arabs El 
Dier, or " the convent/' Nothing can awaken a 
more striking idea of the indefatigable labour of 
the ancient inhabitants of Petra, than the access 
to this temple. 

We entered one of the narrow ravines at the 
western end of the valley, so choked up with 
masses of fallen rock, and overgrown with oleander 
and tamarisk, that we could have proceeded a 
very little way without the assistance of our Fellah 
guides. They led the way, scrambling over the 
rocks, and pushing through the thickets, till we 
came upon the extraordinary path by which 
human industry has worked its way to a situation 
otherwise inaccessible to all but the eagle that 
was soaring over our heads. 

A succession of terraces have been cut along 
the face of the rock; from each of which you 
ascend by a flight of handsome steps to the next. 
One of these flights of steps extends over a space 
of more than a thousand feet. The wild naked 
rocks rose high above our heads, and fearful 
abysses yawned beneath us, as we ascended this 
singular path; the silence was broken only by 



152 



VALLEY AND RUINS OF 



[let. IV. 



our own voices and the low rushing sound of the 
brook faintly heard in the distance ; and I could 
not help feeling that a single traveller would here 
be too much in the power of his guides. A single 
push might precipitate him into one of these 
gloomy chasms, and the manner of his death 
remain for ever undiscovered. We, to be sure, 
were in no danger from any treachery on the part 
of the Fellahs ; for we had no confidence in their 
professions of friendship, which, to say the truth, 
had never been very cordial ; and we had taken 
the precaution of bringing two of the Alloeens 
w 7 ith us. 

The ascent terminates at a little green valley 
surrounded by high rocks, and at a great height 
above the ancient city. On one side of the valley 
stands the temple called El Dier, sculptured on 
the face of the rock. It is in very perfect pre- 
servation, with the exception of the steps up to 
the entrance. The design is somewhat like that of 
the Khasne, but without its elaborate sculptures ; 
and although the style is rather fantastic, the 
defects of the architecture are overlooked in con- 
templating the gigantic proportions of the whole 
structure: The idea of sculpturing a monolithic 
temple of such enormous dimensions from the 
solid rock, appears to belong to a race of giants. 

It contains only one apartment, about fifty feet 



LET. IV.] 



PETRA, OR WADY MOUSA. 



153 



square, and perhaps thirty in height, which, like 
many of the other excavations, has been used by 
the Arabs for confining their flocks of goats, 
some of which we saw feeding in the valley. 
Opposite the entrance there is a recess, six feet 
deep and twelve wide, containing an altar w T ith 
four steps on each side. Immediately over the 
altar, a Greek cross has been painted on the wall, 
and may still be distinctly traced ; and it is not 
improbable that this temple may at one period 
have been used as a Christian church. 

On the opposite side of the valley from El Dier, 
is a large excavated chamber, the entrance of which 
is about twelve or fifteen feet above the level of 
the valley itself. The rock in front of the excava- 
tion extends about twenty feet forwards, forming 
a terrace, along the edge of which are the bases of 
a colonnade. At the extremity of the apartment is 
a niche, with pilasters on each side, neatly enough 
carved, but defective in taste. The excavated 
chamber appears to have been the adytum of a 
small temple which was built in front of it. 

The view from this elevated valley is very grand. 
On one side is the great Monolithic Temple and 
the valley of Petra, with its sculptured fa9ades 
faintly seen in the distance below ; on the other, 
Mount Hor rising amidst a chaos of rocks, and 
cutting the clear blue sky with his ragged peak. 
h 3 



154 



VALLEY AND RUINS OF 



[let. IV. 



I have endeavoured to give as minute a descrip- 
tion as possible of these curious remains ; but I 
feel how very inadequate all I can write must be 
to convey anything like a correct idea of the extent 
or of the general appearance of the ruins. It is 
impossible to examine every part of the remains of 
this deserted city during the few days which any 
traveller has been allowed to spend here ; and when 
we find such a stupendous monument as El Dier 
in a situation apparently inaccessible, and which 
no traveller could reach without the assistance of 
the Arabs of the place, and when we find them 
pretending ignorance of those monuments which 
are already known, it seems not unreasonable to 
believe that others, equally important, may exist in 
some of those lateral defiles which we found inac- 
cessible beyond a short distance. 

One is struck with the prodigious labour which 
must have been expended in cutting perpendicular 
and smooth such a vast extent of rock, in excavat- 
ing the numerous and spacious chambers, and 
sculpturing those highly ornamented fa$ades which 
adorn their entrance. Everything bears testimony 
to the great wealth of the city at the period when 
these works were in progress. It was the common 
centre at which the whole trade of Arabia, Egypt, 
and Syria, met ; the source from which all the 
precious commodities of the East found their way 



LF.T. IV.] 



PETRA, OR WADY MOUSA. 



155 



to Egypt? an( i by Arsinoe, Gaza, Tyre, and a 
variety of subordinate routes to the Mediterranean*. 
. It is now u a desolate wilderness — " small amono* 

© 

the heathen, and despised among men" — a standing 
memorial of the fulfilment of those denunciations 
which were pronounced against it long before 
many of its most splendid monuments were in 
existence. 

From the Greeco-Roman character of the archi- 
tecture of many of the excavations, it is probable 
that they do not belong to an earlier period than 
the second century, when Petra became the capital 
of a Roman province ; and even those which are of 
an pearlier date appear to belong to a variety of 
periods. The prophecy — " Whereas Edom saith, 
We are impoverished, but we will return and build 
the desolate places ; thus saith the Lord, They 
shall build, but I will throw down " — seems to 
intimate that the cities of Edom would be destroyed 
and rebuilt before all the desolations denounced 
against her were fully accomplished. 

There is abundant evidence of the complete ful- 
filment of the prophecies against Edom, without 
descending to those minute and literal details to 
which so much importance has been attached. I 
have seen nothing to confirm the statements we 
have read, of the very minute coincidences between 



* Vincent's Commerce of the Ancients. 



156 



VALLEY AND RUINS OF 



[let. IV. 



the present condition of this country and the very 
words of prophecy ; as if there were not a plant 
or an animal mentioned in the highly figurative 
description of the desolation which was to come 
upon Edom, that might not be found in or near 
this deserted city. The works of travellers have 
been referred to, and quoted, sometimes not very 
accurately, in support of this literal mode of inter- 
pretation ; and some liberties have been taken even 
with the sacred text itself. 

The prophecy, " None shall pass through it for 
ever and ever," is one of those which are said to 
have been literally fulfilled. But surely any one 
coming from Akaba, at one extremity of the land 
of Edom, and, after penetrating to the capital 
city, passing northward towards Palestine, may be 
said, in the ordinary acceptation of the words, to 
have passed through the country. Nor is the route 
eastward so entirely unfrequented as has been 
supposed. While we were in Wady Mousa, a 
party of merchants, with camels and merchandise, 
arrived in the valley, and bivouacked beside us one 
night. They were on their way from Gaza to 
Maan — the ancient Teman — and told us that they 
made the same journey once every year, and paid 
tribute to the Arabs for passing through their 
territory. 

But the entire passage is as follows : — " And 



LET. IV.] 



PETRA, OR WADY MOUSA. 



157 



the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and 
the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land 
thereof shall become burning pitch ; it shall not 
be quenched day nor night ; the smoke thereof 
shall go up for ever and ever ; from generation to 
generation it shall lie waste ; none shall pass through 
it for ever*?** Now nobody pretends that the first 
part of this passage is literally applicable to the 
present condition of Idumea ; and there is surely 
a manifest impropriety, in either detaching the 
last clause from the preceding context, or in in- 
terpreting the last clause literally and the rest 
figuratively. 

I believe it is the opinion of many commentators, 
that the prophecy has a double application, to the 
visible and to a mystical Edom, as the prophecies 
against Babylon are applied in a secondary sense 
to Rome, the mystical Babylon; and the fulfil- 
ment of the prophecy against Idumea appears to be 
complete, in its ceasing to be the great thorough- 
fare through which the commerce of the surround- 
ing nations passed. 

Thorns do " come up in the palaces" of Petra, 
" nettles and briars in the fortresses thereof but 
not to any very extraordinary extent ; nor indeed 
do they grow in such rank luxuriance as I have 
seen them among other ruins. A bramble may be 



* Isaiah, xxxiv. 9, 10. 



158 



VALLEY AND RUINS OF 



[let. IV. 



seen growing out of the rock near the top of some 
of the monuments ; but it is quite an exaggeration 
to say, that the thorns rise to the same height with 
the columns, or that the bramble reaches to the top 
of the monuments. And, in fact, the plants which 
grow most luxuriantly in the valley and the neigh- 
bouring defiles, so as to give a character to the 
scenery, are the oleander, tamarisk, and white 
broom ; and numbers of small purple hyacinths 
spring up everywhere among the ruins. 

The only birds of prey which I observed were 
some white vultures, which were generally seen in 
pairs, soaring above the valley, or perched upon 
the rocks. Partridges, pigeons, a species of black- 
bird, and numbers of small singing-birds, w 7 ere 
seen every day. I neither saw nor heard the 
screech-owl, nor did we see any venomous reptile, 
except one small scorpion, which was brought in 
one morning by Sheich Hussein. The wild goat, 
called by the Arabs tetal, frequents the mountains 
around the valley, and also an animal which, from 
Sheich Hussein's description, appeared to be a 
wild boar. The whole prophecy appears to be a 
description in highly figurative language of the 
desolation to be brought upon Edom ; and it is 
impossible to look on the present condition of the 
ruined and deserted city of Petra, without feeling 
how amply the prediction has been fulfilled. 



LET. IV.] 



PETRA, OR WADY MOUSA. 



159 



" Bozrah has become a desolation, a waste, and a 
curse" — she is " small among the heathen, and 
despised among men" — "thorns come up in her 
palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses 
thereof" — the Lord has " stretched out his hand 
against and made her most desolate." 

The ruins of Petra teach a far more impressive 
lesson than is to be learned in curiously searching 
after these minute literalities. We see in her 
present condition, not only the accomplishment of 
all the denunciations against Edom, but a warning 
of the certainty with which all God's righteous 
denunciations against sin will be fulfilled ; and if 
we read the lesson aright, every fragment of that 
desolated city will appear to address us with the 
solemn admonition : " Think ye that they were 
sinners above all men, because they suffered such 
things ; I tell you nay, but except ye repent, ye 
shall all likewise perish." 

I have little doubt that the Khasne, El Dier, 
and the excavation opposite to it, were temples. 
Those excavations which beyond any doubt were 
tombs, are a little removed from the immediate 
vicinity of the city ; and of those on the cliffs at 
the eastern end of the valley it is not easy to 
determine whether they were intended as recep- 
tacles for the dead, or habitations for the living. 
They are at present without ornament in the inte- 



160 



VALLEY AND RUINS OF 



[let. iv. 



rior ; but from the appearance of the walls in that 
which contains four apartments, they seem to have 
been covered with stucco ; and they may possibly 
have been as highly ornamented within, as they 
are externally. In some, the light is admitted by 
windows ; and the recesses, supposed to have been 
for the reception of the dead, frequently appear 
spacious enough to have been sleeping apartments, 
and may, at all events, have been used for other 
purposes than that which has been assigned to 
them. Thousands of excavations in other parts 
of the valley, and in the lateral ravines, are merely 
square apartments, some of them of considerable 
dimensions, and occasionally divided by a built 
partition. I cannot help thinking that some of 
those long rows of excavations were dwellings ; it 
is the mode which would naturally suggest itself 
to the people of extending their city, after the 
valley itself was already covered with buildings ; 
and some expressions in the prophecy appear to 
favour this idea. At the same time, the expression, 
" Thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock,'" 
might with perfect propriety be applied to the city 
of Petra, , although no such dwellings had been 
excavated in the rocky barriers which enclose it. 
The valley in which it stood is elevated consider- 
ably above the surrounding country, encircled by 
precipitous rocks, and approached by narrow and 



LET. IV.] 



PETRA, OR WADY MOUSA. 



161 



dangerous defiles, in which a very small body of 
men might effectually check the advance of any 
hostile force, though greatly superior in numbers. 
No place could be better entitled, from the natural 
strength of its situation, to the appellation of 
Bozrah — " the fortified city ;" and its inhabitants 
might truly be said, in the poetic language of the 
prophecy, to have " made their nest as high as the 
eagle." 

Mehemet Ali, who has contrived to get most of 
the Bedaween tribes into his pay, has never been 
able to subdue the two or three hundred Fellaheen 
who occupy the valley of Wady Mousa. We were 
told by some soldiers, whom we afterwards met on 
the road to Gaza, and who expressed great surprise 
at our having escaped so easily from Petra, that 
troops had been sent there for the purpose of sub- 
duing the Fellaheen, and punishing them for some 
robberies committed. 

The party advanced from Akaba, and entered 
Wady Mousa without opposition, but without see- 
ing a single Fellah. For several days the valley 
appeared to be entirely deserted, and, but for the 
little cultivated spaces among the ruins, as utterly 
desolate as if it had remained for ages unoccupied 
except by the vultures, which wheeled their airy 
circles over the ruined city. Not a night however 
passed during which some of the tents were not 



162 



VALLEY AND RUINS OF 



[let. IV. 



robbed, and the arms stolen, as if by some invisible 
hand ; and even one or two soldiers, who had im- 
prudently strayed from the encampment, were 
carried off, and never returned. 

Fearing to penetrate the narrow and wild ravines 
which branch out from the valley, and finding their 
provisions fast decreasing, without any means of 
obtaining supplies, the party returned to Akaba, 
after losing one or two men, and a good many 
muskets, by an enemy whom they had never seen. 

The account given us by the soldiers of this 
expedition, and of the tactics of the Fellaheen, 
exactly agreed with what we ourselves expe- 
rienced. 

Notwithstanding our bargain with Sheich Ma- 
gabel, we had no confidence in the savages by 
whom we were surrounded ; for we had no reason 
to believe that they would consider themselves 
bound by his engagement ; and although the pre- 
sence of the Alloeens secured us against any open 
attack, we were still exposed to the treachery of 
these robbers, who, in spite of any pledge given 
by the sheich, would have plundered our tents 
without scruple, whenever they found them un- 
watched; 

We were obliged to employ the Fellahs as 
guides, for without their assistance we could never 
have found our way to some of the excavated 



LET. IV.] 



PETRA, OR WADY MOUSA. 



163 



monuments ; and some of them were at all times 
loitering about our encampment. To us they 
were civil enough, and one of their women and a 
little girl occasionally brought milk to our tents ; 
but in our absence hints were given to our servants 
that we had paid too little, and that the sheich 
had no right to make the agreement he had 
made with us ; and threats were held out that a 
further sum of money would be exacted, before we 
were allowed to leave the valley. 

On the third day of our stay, while we were ab- 
sent among the ruins, three or four Fellahs came 
loitering about the tents while our servants were 
preparing our dinner, which was cooked, of course, 
in the open air. One of these fellows snatched up 
a soup-tureen, which, being of tinned copper, he 
perhaps mistook for a more precious metal, and in 
an instant was lost among the rocks and bushes. 
He soon appeared again on a high rock above the 
tents, waving the stolen vessel over his head in 
triumph, and calling out that he would return for 
something else. 

When we heard of this theft, on our return, we 
sent for Hussein and Magabel, and reminding them 
both of their engagement for the security of our 
property, insisted on the stolen article being 
returned. Hussein we had in our own power, or, 
to use his own expression, his head was in our 



VALLEY AND KUINS OF 



[let. IV. 



hands ; for we had his written agreement, and 
could deduct the value of whatever was stolen, 
from the money we were to pay him on our arrival 
at Hebron. Magabel appeared to be highly indig- 
nant at the conduct of his clansmen after he had 
pledged himself for our safety, and eaten daily of 
our bread, and declared his intention to set out 
instantly in quest of the thief, and to bring back 
the stolen property. For this purpose be left us, 
and we had certainly very little hope of ever seeing 
him again. 

Hussein now urged us to depart, as he was 
apprehensive of some more serious depredation on 
the part of the Fellaheen. We had determined to 
remain over the next day (Sunday) ; but agreed to 
start as early as he pleased on Monday morning. 

We had all dined together in Mr. PelFs tent on 
Sunday evening ; and as Mr. Roberts and I were 
returning to our own tent about ten o^clock, we 
were surprised to observe that all the Alloeens, 
with their camels, had left the bivouac, and 
that the fire was extinguished. The night was 
cloudy, with passing showers; and our servants 
told us that the Alloeens, expecting heavy rain 
during the night, had removed to one of the large 
excavations in the neighbourhood ; but as Sheich 
Hussein slept that night in Mr. PelFs tent, and 
our servants were by us, and armed, we retired to 



iv.] PETRA, OR WADY MOUSA. 165 

rest without any apprehension. We certainly 
never supposed that the Fellahs, with all their 
cunning, would attempt to rob our tents while we 
were asleep in them. 

About midnight I was awakened by loud cries of 
" El Arab ! robbers, robbers !" repeated in half-a- 
dozen voices, English and Arab. I started up, 
just as Mr. Pell, half-dressed, came to our tent ; 
but on running out no one was to be seen except 
our own party. Mr. Pell then gave the following 
account of the robbery. 

Sheich Hussein had asked permission to sleep in 
the tent, as the night was wet ; and, at his request, 
Mr. Pell allowed his lantern to remain burning 
after they had gone to rest. About twelve o'clock, 
being scarcely asleep, he heard a rustling near him, 
and, opening his eyes, saw an Arab making his 
escape under the curtain of the tent. He immedi- 
ately reached to his pistols, which he had laid 
beside him on going to rest, and found that they 
were gone ; and, rousing Ismael and Sheich Hus- 
sein, he gave the alarm. On leaving the tent, no 
one was to be seen, everything was perfectly still, 
and not a sound was heard except their own voices 
and the rushing of the brook. 

The robbery was certainly boldly and cleverly 
executed. One or two of the tent-pins had been 
drawn on the outside, so as to allow the side of the 



166 



VALLEY AND RUINS OF 



[let. IV. 



tent to be lifted up. In this manner the thief had 
crept in, and deliberately selected, from among the 
various articles of less importance, such as were of 
most value to these wild people — a pair of pistols, 
a bag containing powder and balls, a shot-belt, and 
a box full of wax candles ; and, but for Mr. Pell's 
awaking, would no doubt have taken all the arms 
he could reach without disturbing the sleepers. 

Our situation was by no means an agreeable one. 
No Fellah had been seen near the tents for some 
time before sunset, and we were still to all appear- 
ance quite alone in the valley ; but we knew well 
that some of them could not be far off, and that a 
hundred might be concealed within a few yards of 
our encampment. To add to our discomfort, we 
could not help suspecting that Hussein himself had 
connived at the robbery. For the first time the 
Alloeens had removed from their bivouac, and 
left the tents unguarded ; and it was at Hussein's- 
request that the lantern had remained lighted, 
which served to facilitate the operations of the 
thief, and prevent his stumbling against any of the 
sleepers. Had the Alloeens remained at their 
posts, with their fire lighted, some of them would 
in all probability have detected the approach 
of the robber, and in their honest simplicity 
have given the alarm ; and when Sheich Hussein 
was aroused, there was something about his appear- 



LET. IV.] 



PETRA, OR WADY MOUSA. 



167 



ance that made Mr. Pell suspect that his sleep had 
been feigned, and that he was really awake while 
the thief was in the tent. We all knew that he 
coveted the pistols. He had given many hints that 
they would be an acceptable present, and finding 
these disregarded, had at last asked for them, and 
been refused. 

Mr. Pell, hardly concealing his suspicions, turned 
the sheich out of his tent ; the Alloeens were 
recalled, a fire lighted up, and a watch set, with 
orders to call the half-hours, and we once more 
retired to rest. One gets wonderfully accustomed 
to such adventures in this country ; and, although 
in the narration it may appear sufficiently exciting 
to disturb one's rest, we slept very soundly, after 
arranging our tent in such a manner that no one 
could enter it without awaking us. 

At the first appearance of dawn the tents were 
struck, and the camels loaded, and we left Petra 
without seeing a single Fellah. 

The danger of visiting Petra is certainly much 
less than, by the accounts of early travellers, it 
appears formerly to have been ; and, I believe, if 
Mr. Stephens and Lord Lindsay had insisted on 
remaining, when they were hurried away by Sheich 
Hussein, they might have negotiated with the 
Fellaheen as we did. They are formidable only 
from the impracticable nature of their country. 



168 



VALLEY AND RUINS OP 



[let. IV. 



Unlike other mountaineers, they appear to be a 
cowardly race, and to justify the contempt in 
which they are held by the Bed a ween # tribes 
around them ; but their cunning and treacherous 
character, combined with their perfect knowledge 
of every bush and rock of the wild district they 
inhabit, renders them a dangerous people to be 
amongst. You are at no time safe from their 
depredations ; for, although they will not openly 
attack a well-armed party, especially under the 
protection of so powerful a tribe as the Alloeens, 
they will individually take every opportunity of 
committing petty thefts ; and, like the Indians of 
North America, they will insinuate themselves, 
like snakes, into your very tent while you sleep, 
for the purpose of plundering you, although they 
may have eaten your bread the same day. 

At the same time, as the money paid by travel- 
lers for the use of their camels to the Owlad Sayd 
and the Alloeens, is also a sort of tribute for 
passing through their country ; it is but fair that 
the Fellaheen of Wady Mousa should be paid 
also; and they complain, with justice, of the 
Alloeens entering their valley, and allowing their 

* Fellah (plu. Fellaheen) signifies a cultivator of the ground^ 
Bedawee, (plu. Bedaween) a dweller in tents. The inhabitants 
of towns are called Belladeen, and both they and the Fellaheen 
are held in contempt by the Bedaween. 



let. iv.] PETRA, OR WADY MOUSA. 



169 



camels to eat and tread down their corn, without 
making any compensation for the damage occa- 
sioned by their visits. Travellers ought always to 
communicate with one of the Fellah sheichs, and 
to make a bargain with them, as we did; they 
will then have the Fellahs for guides ; and they 
have only to keep a strict watch over their encamp- 
ment, and to have one of the Alloeens always with 
them ; and they may remain in Petra in perfect 
safety for a week or ten days. 

So far from Sheich Hussein having any fear of 
the Fellaheen, they appear to stand very much in 
awe of him ; he has frequently exacted supplies of 
corn from them, and carried off their goats ; and, 
I believe, there is nothing they dread more than a 
feud with the Alloeens. Unlike the Bedaween 
tribes, they disregard the laws of hospitality, and 
the engagements of their own sheichs ; they may 
steal, but their fear of a " blood feud " will prevent 
their openly attacking any party under the pro- 
tection of any of the Bedaween tribes around 
them. They may retire to their rocky fastnesses ; 
but they know that their fields may be devastated, 
and their supplies from Akaba, and Maan, and 
Hebron, cut off by the Bedaweens, more easily 
than by the Pacha's troops. 

Sheich Hussein is a perfectly safe person to treat 
with, as long as his present connexion with the 

i 



170 



VALLEY AND RUINS OF 



[let. IV. 



government exists, if you have the Pachas firman 
and the other customary recommendations to him. 
His camels are employed to carry stores from 
Cairo to the fortress of Akaba, and he conducts 
the Hadgg caravan on part of its route to Mecca ; 
and for these services he receives a certain rate of 
hire for his camels, and considerable presents of 
grain, dresses, shawls, &c, with every caravan. 
This is, in fact, a sort of Arab " black mail ;" for 
the caravans were annually robbed by Sheich 
Meshal, an uncle of Hussein. The present arrange- 
ment, however, is more suitable to his character, 
which is by no means warlike ; as it insures him a 
certain profit, without exposing him to any per- 
sonal danger. Besides his regular pay and presents, 
he contrives to realise a considerable profit by the 
conveyance of the government stores to Akaba. 
He is responsible for the quantity of grain received 
at Cairo, and any diminution detected on its arrival 
at Akaba he is obliged to make good, at the price 
of the Cairo market ; but as wheat is worth about 
SO per cent, more at Akaba, he and the store- 
keeper at the fortress make a profitable trade by 
abstracting a portion of every supply, and paying 
for it honestly at the government price. Such a 
scheme could scarcely have originated with the 
Bedaween, but was probably suggested to him by 
the Turkish storekeeper ; and is but one proof 



let. iv.] PETRA, OR WADY MOUSA. i 71 

how completely the simplicity of the Bedaween 
character has, in the case of Sheich Hussein, been 
corrupted by frequent visits to the capital, and 
intercourse with the petty officers of the go- 
vernment. 

The Bedaweens still retain the same purity of 
life and simplicity of manners as in the days of 
the patriarchs : energetic, temperate, and capable 
of great endurance ; holding sacred the law T s of 
hospitality, and uncorrupted either by the luxuries 
or vices of cities. Their flocks supply the ma- 
terial from w T hich their tents are formed; and 
these are so simple in their construction that, 
in all probability, they have undergone no change 
since the days of their progenitor IshmaeL Their 
clothing is of the same primitive character : a 
large mantle called an abbayeh ; a garment of 
white cotton girt with a leathern girdle, and leav- 
ing the arms, and the legs from the knee down- 
wards, bare ; a pair of fish-skin, or hard leather 
sandals ; and on the head a kerchief, called keffieh, 
hanging over the shoulders and bound round the 
head with a piece of cameFs-hair rope, or a fillet of 
plaited worsted. The wealth of their sheichs, as in 
the days of the patriarchs, consists in flocks of 
sheep or goats, horses, camels, and a changes of 
raiment." Of the last some of the sheichs possess 
great store, 

i2 



172 



VALLEY AND RUINS OF 



[let. IV. 



Like the Jews, the descendants of Ishmael 
remain a standing evidence to the truth of the 
prophecies regarding their race. They are a wild 
people ; their hand is against every man, and every 
man's hand against them. Notwithstanding their 
apparent subjection for a time, and in particular 
districts, to the powerful governments in their 
neighbourhood, they have in reality maintained a 
continual independence, and remained unsubdued 
and unaltered ; and even the present subjection of 
some of the tribes to the Pacha of Egypt has more 
the appearance of an alliance with an independent 
people. The Pacha is said to have the Alloeens 
and other powerful tribes in his pay ; but the 
sheichs say that he pays them tribute for their for- 
bearance in allowing the caravans to pass through 
their country. He has, in the mean time, checked 
their predatory incursions along the borders of the 
Desert ; but their character remains unchanged, 
— they are restrained, but not subdued ; and no 
sooner are the troops removed from any of the ex- 
posed districts, than the villages are plundered, the 
fields devastated, and the flocks driven off by the 
Arab tribes. 

But although the sack of a village or the plunder 
of a caravan is with them a sort of honourable 
warfare, they are scrupulously honest where they 
have once pledged their word ; hospitality and 



LET. IV.] 



PETRA, OR WADY MOUSA. 



173 



fidelity to their engagements are their distinguish- 
ing virtues ; and once under the protection of a 
Bedawee, the traveller and his property are in per- 
fect safety, unless from an attack by some hostile 
tribe. While with the Beni Sayds and Alloeens, 
we never detected the slightest inclination to pilfer, 
and were never importuned for a present, except 
by Sheich Hussein himself. But he is a bad speci- 
men of the Bedaween character ; there is no end 
to his avarice, he will cheat you if he can ; and his 
constant importunities for money, his endeavours 
to find out what present you mean to give him at 
Hebron, and his undisguised hints that he would 
like your pistols or your double-barrelled gun, are 
tiresome and disgusting. 

While we were in Petra, he omitted no oppor- 
tunity of pressing us to say that we would pay for 
the camels during our stay. We certainly meant 
to do so, but he had wearied and irritated us by his 
importunities, and we told him that we would 
promise nothing but what was in our written 
engagement. He then changed his tactics, and 
begged that we would advance him 1000 piastres, 
to purchase provisions and forage for his camels. 
We did so, but made him affix his signet to a 
receipt for the money : a mode of proceeding which 
the sheich appeared to understand perfectly, and 
to dislike very much. 



174 



VALLEY AND RUINS OF 



[let. IV, 



Notwithstanding all this, Sheich Hussein is rather 
a remarkable character. Although one of the chiefs 
of a very powerful tribe, he is no warrior. Indeed 
his own followers did not scruple to say, " Hussein 
is a great coward but they added, " he can 
do more with his tongue, than all the other sheichs 
with their swords." Yet if you listen to his own 
stories of his warlike exploits, you would imagine 
him a perfect Rustan. He is certainly the most 
unblushing liar I ever met with ; and when he has 
a point to carry, or wants to impress you with a 
high opinion of his importance, he will try to im- 
pose upon you the most monstrous inventions, 
although a day or two, or even a few hours, must 
expose their falsehood. 

At Akaba, he insisted on our taking twenty-five 
camels, and gave a description of the country 
through which we were to pass ; the falsehood of 
which, he must have known, would be exposed the 
very next day. He declared that, in addition to 
these camels, he had brought twenty of his men 
mounted on dromedaries as a guard ; and that 
nothing would induce him to venture near Wady 
Mousa with a smaller force ; and yet, when w T e 
came to start next morning, his whole party con- 
sisted of fifteen men, and eighteen camels and 
dromedaries, besides the animal he rode himself. 
He had left them at a short distance from the for- 



LET. IV.] 



PETRA, OR WADY MOUSA. 



175 



tress when he came to our tents, and all these 
falsehoods were for the purpose of extorting double 
the sum of money which he actually accepted for 
his services. Even in very trivial matters, and 
without any apparent object, he could not refrain 
from indulging in this vice, the besetting sin of the 
Arabs of the towns. While we were resting one 
day in the Wady Araba, he showed us his sabre, 
which had the names of the four Khaleefs on the 
blade, and which he said had belonged to his fathers 
for many generations ; quite forgetting that he had 
told us only the day before, that he had got it from 
his friend Abd'al Khagg. 

He is naturally of a very irascible temper, over 
which, however, he has most perfect command ; 
and in all our disputes, except on the morning of 
our entering Petra, he never forgot for a moment 
the assumed politeness of his manner towards us ; 
so different from the genuine kindness and natural 
good-breeding of his namesake, the Beni Sayd. 

The traveller to Petra must expect to encounter 
all the difficulties, the fatigue, and the privations, 
which attend a long journey through the Desert ; 
and these are, after all, not so very serious as I had 
anticipated. Sickness may occur, or accidents 
happen, where there is no possibility of obtaining 
medical assistance ; and we have reason to be very 
thankful that we were preserved from anything of 



176 



DEPARTURE FROM PETRA. 



[let* IV. 



this kind. Heat and thirst must be endured with 
patience ; and the scanty fare, a hard bed on the 
sand, and a ride of ten hours a-day on a light-footed 
dromedary, are no very great hardships ; and are 
an admirable cure for dyspepsia, and all the other 
ailments to which sedentary gentlemen at home are 
subject. 

The most distressing privation is the want of 
water ; and to this a large party are, of course, 
peculiarly exposed. Great care should be taken 
that the skins, in which it is carried, have been 
some time in use, and are well seasoned ; as a 
new skin imparts a nauseous taste to the water in 
a few hours, and soon renders it unfit for drinking. 
It is of importance to accustom one's self to use 
as little water as possible; not to drink more fre- 
quently than is absolutely necessary, and to be 
satisfied with a single mouthful at a time. I have 
always found that large draughts increased the 
desire to drink, and that the feeling of thirst was 
more certainly alleviated by single mouthfuls of 
water taken at considerable intervals. 

We left the valley of Petra nearly at the same 
point at* which we had entered it, leaving to the 
left the ruins of a temple, of which a single column 
remains standing; and, passing the plain at the 
base of Mount Hor, crossed its southern limb by 



LIST. IV.] 



GEBEL HAR0UN. 



177 



a rocky and laborious path. The grey mists were 
rolling rapidly upwards, over the bare and rugged 
sides of the mountain ; but the clouds gradually 
broke up, disclosing larger and larger portions of 
the blue sky ; and the rain-storm, with which we 
had been threatened the evening before, passed 
away with only a gentle shower. 

It may be questioned whether the present Gebel 
Haroun be really the Mount Hor on which Aaron 
died, as the whole range of Mount Seir was 
anciently called by that name ; yet, from its 
height, and the conspicuous manner in which it 
rises among the surrounding rocks, it seems not 
unlikely to have been the chosen scene of the 
prophet's death. 

From the top of Mount Nebo Moses saw the 
promised land, although he was not permitted to 
enter it ; but with how different feelings must 
Aaron have cast his eyes from the summit of 
Mount Hor, over the " great and terrible wilder- 
ness, " in which the children of Israel had so long 
wandered ; the scene of all their murmuring and 
rebellion against the Lord, and of his own rebellion 
too, for which he was to die without even seeing 
afar off the land of Canaan ! 

We talked of ascending to Aaron's Tomb, a 
modern building, which crowns the highest peak ; 
but Hussein urged us to proceed without delay ; 

i 3 



178 



WADY EL GHOR. 



[let. IV. 



and, after the example we had had of the treachery 
of the Fellaheen, we thought it might be more 
prudent to listen for once to his advice, and not 
to stop till we had placed the mountains between 
us and Wady Mousa. 

We passed, on our road across the mountain, 
several ruins of little importance, and part of a 
Roman causeway constructed with large squared 
stones, which has probably been the regular road 
to Petra from the west ; but instead of the deep 
glens with their luxuriant boscage of oleander, 
which we had passed through on our ascent, we 
had now to scramble down to the Wady El Ghor, 
over the rocky side of the mountain. The path 
was so rugged and precipitous that I dismounted, 
thinking myself safer on foot ; but before long I 
was fain to mount again and take my chance of a 
fall, rather than suffer the pain of walking over 
the sharp rocks, which cut my feet at every step. 
It was a weary and painful march for the poor 
camels, and a thousand times worse than the road 
by which Hussein had declared that a loaded 
camel could not pass. 

As we rode through the Wady El Ghor in the 
afternoon, we found a single Arab seated by a 
small fire, on which he was boiling his coffee-pot. 
He was Sheich Salem, Husseins brother, who was 
returning from Hebron. He told us that he had 



LET. IV.] 



SHEICH SALEM. 



179 



waited three days in this place in expectation of 
meeting us. 

Sheich Hussein had been unusually obsequious 
all day ; and, although we had refrained from 
alluding to the robbery of the previous night, he 
was evidently aware that his own conduct had 
excited our suspicions ; and seemed inclined to 
avail himself of this meeting with his brother, to 
part company with us. He now proposed to leave 
us. " You know," said he, " that I must be in 
Cairo within forty days, to carry the stores to 
Akaba. I have my camels to collect, and many 
things to do before I set out. I will therefore 
leave you now, and return to my tents ; Sheich 
Salem will conduct you in safety to Hebron." 

This we would on no account consent to. We 
were resolved to bring him to an account for the 
property of which we had been robbed in Petra, 
and had not made up our minds whether we should 
not deduct the value from the money he was to 
receive at Hebron ; and we wished to avoid coming 
to any explanation with him on the subject, until 
we got him within reach of one of the Pacha's 
governors. Once at Hebron, we had no fear of 
being able to enforce the terms of our written 
agreement, by which he had become responsible 
for the security of our property as well as our 
persons; but we were not sure that the agreement 



180 



SHEICH MAG ABEL. 



[let. IV. 



would be held equally binding on Sheich Salem, if 
we allowed Hussein to leave us. We therefore, 
as politely as possible, but very decidedly, refused 
to proceed without him ; and, as he had already 
learnt that we never altered a determination which 
we had once expressed, we heard no more of the 
matter. 

Hussein was evidently displeased and sulky. In 
the evening he did not come to dine in our tent as 
usual, until we sent for him ; and after dinner he 
rose and left us, without waiting for coffee. . 

Next morning (12th March), as we were pre- 
paring to start, a solitary Arab was seen approach- 
ing and making signs to us to stop ; and, to our 
great surprise, we recognised our friend Sheich 
Magabel. He carried in his hand our soup tureen, 
which he had promised to recover, and which he 
now restored with many protestations of the satis- 
faction he felt in having made his face white before 
us. He expressed great concern on hearing of the 
manner in which we had been robbed after he left 
us, and assured us that everything should be 
restored. He was sure he could find out the rob- 
bers — wp thought we could find one of them 
without going very far — and he would send all the 
things to Sheich Hussein, who could bring them 
to Cairo. Hussein too promised that, if he did 
not bring back the stolen articles, he would him- 



let. IV. ] SHEICH HUSSEIN. 181 

self pay the value of them at the British consulate. 
This we were determined that he should do, and 
expressed our entire satisfaction with the arrange- 
ment, which, we had no doubt, would be honour- 
ably fulfilled on his part. 

But Hussein's temper, which had been a little 
ruffled by our refusal to exchange his company for 
that of Sheich Salem, was by no means improved 
by this accidental interview with Magabel. His 
ill temper, too, appeared to have infected the dro- 
medary that he rode, for it began to plunge about, 
and bolt from side to side, at the imminent risk 
of running some of us down. At last he came so 
close upon me that I put my hand on his shoulder 
and gave him a slight push, at which he was highly 
incensed ; but another plunge brought him in 
collision with our friend Ismael, who, in his turn, 
gave him a push ; and, the dromedary swerving 
at the same time, Sheich Hussein rolled igno- 
miniously in the sand. He started at once on his 
feet, his face burning with anger, his eyes flash- 
ing, and the veins on his forehead distended, and 
his whole countenance expressive of the most 
savage rage. 

" Cursed be thou and thy journey !" he ex- 
claimed, turning to Ismael ; but before the laugh 
occasioned by his fall — which was quite irresistible 
— had subsided, the sheich had recovered his self- 



182 BED A WEEN ENCAMPMENT. [let. iv. 

possession : his features relaxed into a smile, rather 
a grim one, and he affected to take the whole as a 
joke ; but he was evidently in a passion ; and, had 
it been safe, I dare say the vindictive ferocity of 
the savage might have displayed itself in a way 
^sufficiently unpleasant for us. I had often admired 
the perfect command which he exercised over his 
temper, and the ease with which he appeared to 
forget the angry disputes which now and then 
arose between him and us. In half-an-hour after 
his fall he was riding along with us, chatting, and 
telling his usual lies about his adventures, and the 
splendid presents he had received, as if nothing 
had happened to ruffle his temper. 

About mid-day we came to a small encampment 
of Bedaweens ; and observing that they had a 
flock of goats and a few sheep, we rode towards 
the tents ; for our larder was empty, and so fair 
an opportunity of replenishing it was not to be 
missed. While we were bargaining for a sheep, 
two women came to offer us milk. They had large 
rings in their noses, and, had they worn the veil, 
they might have passed for beauties, for their eyes 
were very fine, but their faces far from agreeable. 
The men were very civil, and did not ask more 
than three times the price which we paid them for 
the sheep. 

About four o'clock, we came to a few bare, 



LET. IV.] 



AN ORIENTAL NIGHT SKY. 



183 



leafless, stag-horn-looking trees, where Sheich 
Hussein proposed to halt, as it was the only place 
within many hours where firewood was to be found. 
Nothing can be more wearisome than travelling all 
day, with the whole day^s journey and part of the 
next in sight, and nothing to vary the miles of 
flat, dreary waste that intervene ; and although 
we had a good hour of daylight before us, none of 
us felt inclined to ride further. I believe most of 
the party were impatient for the death of the 
unlucky sheep, which had been trotting along with 
us for the last three or four hours, unconscious of 
its approaching fate. 

When a sheep is killed, the Arabs generally 
contrive to make a feast from parts of the animal 
which we never think of eating ; and on this occa- 
sion they appeared to be unusually merry. About 
eleven o'clock I walked out to see what might be 
the cause of the hearty guffaw that every two or 
three minutes broke the stillness of the night. 
What a scene it was ! There w r as not a single 
speck of cloud in the heavens ; and you, who have 
only seen the cold, inky-looking skies of our island, 
can scarcely imagine how intensely beautiful are 
the nights in this country. The innumerable host 
of stars appear, not as if sparkling on the concave 
surface of the heavens, and differing only in size 
and brightness, but floating at different and im- 



184 



REFLECTION ON A 



[let. IV. 



measurable distances through the infinite ether : 
the Milky- way hangs like a luminous wreath athwart 
the heavens ; and the moon, far more resplendent 
than she appears in our climate, 

Rolls through the dark blue depths: 

Beneath her steady ray 

The desert circle spreads, 
Like the round ocean girdled with the sky. 

How beautiful is night ! 

and how impressively does it demonstrate the 
being, and power, and majesty of the Creator. 
" The heavens declare the glory of God," no less 
than they " show his handy work." 

Gazing on this countless assemblage of worlds, 
and suns, the centres round which myriads of 
unseen worlds are unceasingly performing their 
appointed revolutions, the imagination is over- 
whelmed in attempting to form any conception of 
the prodigious magnitude and splendour of the 
universe ; and our own earth sinks in the com- 
parison to a speck, less than a drop in the ocean, 
or a grain of sand in the boundless desert. 
Strange it seems, to the feebleness of our limited 
faculties,, that this little remote spot in creation 
should hold so important a place in the councils 
of eternity, as Revelation tells us that it unques- 
tionably does ! And yet to conceive of the earth, 
and of the human race, as too insignificant to 



let. iv.] NIGHT SCENE IN THE DESERT. 185 

occupy any portion of the regard of the Creator 
of such a universe, is, after all, but a false humi- 
lity, as well as a most perilous error ; for with 
God there is neither vastness nor insignificance, 
sublimity nor meanness, remoteness nor proximity 
of space or time, but an eternal present. 

My contemplations were soon interrupted by 
another loud peal of laughter from the bivouac of 
the Arabs ; and no sooner was I observed than 
invited to join the party. " Khowaga ! ya Kho- 
waga ! taal hinneh^ taal^ — " Come hither, come," 
was shouted out by half-a-dozen voices at once ; 
and, calling Roberts from the tent, we both went 
and seated ourselves in the circle round the fire. 

It was a scene for Salvator to have painted. 
The silvery appearance of the sand under the 
bright moonlight ; the old naked trees, with their 
white, motionless, contorted branches and ser- 
pentlike shadows ; the camels kneeling around the 
bivouac ; the wild faces of the Bedaweens, reflect- 
ing the red light of the fire round which they were 
seated, their wild voices, and strange guttural lan- 
guage, all combined to produce an effect so startling, 
that I felt I had never till then been thoroughly 
sensible of our complete separation from the civi- 
lised world. Here we were in the midst of the 
Desert, seated with a set of roving Arabs round 
their camp-fire, the bright moon over our heads, 



186 



ARRIVAL AT A WELL. 



[let. IV. 



and the boundless sand around us, — it was an 
excitement worth experiencing for once. 

When we joined the party, one of them was 
roasting the coffee-beans in an iron ladle over the 
fire ; another pounded in a stone-mortar what had* 
already been prepared ; and Sheich Hussein him- 
self was carefully superintending the coffee-pot. 
He had completely recovered his good-humour, 
and the whole party were as gay and happy as 
coffee and light hearts could make them. Infinitely 
more happy, surely, than ardent spirits could have 
made them. Long may they be preserved from 
that deadly poison ! 

The Arabs, even in the hottest weather, must 
have a large blazing fire ; but we found the heat 
so intolerable, that, after a cup of coffee and a pipe, 
we were fain to return to our tents. 

On the 13th, we were still crossing the Wady 
Araba ; but we found the patches of thin grass 
becoming more frequent and more extensive, and 
occasionally mixed with crimson anemones, and 
other wild flowers. 

About two o'clock we arrived at a well, or rather 
a pool, at which we had hoped to find fresh water ; 
but, alas ! we could almost smell it ten or twelve 
yards off. For some distance round the well the 
ground was deeply trodden by camels' feet ; the 
water was full of their dung, and alive with most 



let. iv.] GEBEL ASUFAR WADY K0URM0UB. 187 

unpleasant-looking little creatures. The water in 
the skins, bad as it was, was better than " the 
green mantle of the standing pool ; " and we went 
on our way, comforting ourselves with the thought 
that we were fast approaching a " land of rivers 
of waters." 

On the 14th, before noon, we crossed the range 
of barren hills which bound the Wady Araba on 
the west. The scenery is here most desolate and 
gloomy. The hills appear like enormous heaps of 
hard gravel and sand, thickly strewn with loose 
black flints. About an hour further, we crossed 
Gebel Asufar, a most laborious and difficult ascent, 
at first among loose, rolling stones, and then over 
a broad steep sheet of rock, very slippery, and 
burning hot from constant exposure to the sun. 
From Gebel Asufar we descended to an elevated 
plain of sand, covered with very scanty herbage, 
and tenanted by thousands of scarabsei and large 
black ants. Vegetation gradually improved as we 
advanced, the grass was thicker and greener, and 
the flowers more numerous — anemones, red tulips, 
and a great variety of which I am ignorant of the 
names,— and at sunset we encamped in Wady 
Kourmoub, not far from a ruined town of the 
same name. 

Our tents were pitched before we discovered that 
we were close upon a Bedaween encampment in a 



188 



BEDAWEEN ENCAMPMENT. [let. iv. 



neighbouring hollow, which had concealed them 
from us. 

They soon paid us a visit, bringing with them a 
large wooden bowl full of fresh camel's milk, of 
which they invited us to partake ; and very grate- 
ful and refreshing it was. Sheich Hussein, how- 
ever, did not appear to like our visiters, and they 
were no sooner gone than he told us they were 
notorious robbers, and that a strict watch must be 
kept round the tents during the night. Our feel- 
ing of security in their neighbourhood was certainly 
not increased by Mr. Roberts having found a 
human body, stripped, and half-devoured by jack- 
als, among the ruins. 

Next morning (the 15th) three of these Beda- 
weens came to our encampment, each armed with 
a long spear, and leading his horse by the bridle. 
As soon as the tents were struck, and the men 
began to load the camels, they mounted, and gal- 
loped off across the plain ; a movement which 
appeared to occasion some uneasiness in Hussein's 
mind. 

About nine o'clock we halted to breakfast, in a 
fine valley, where we saw a large herd of camels 
feeding ; and sent one of the Arabs to get us some 
new milk. It is exceedingly good, and without 
any peculiar or unpleasant flavour. 

During the whole of the previous day we had 



LET. IV.] 



EL MALEK. 



189 



seen immense flocks of cranes, evidently migrating 
towards the north. Several flocks passed over us 
as we w r ere seated at breakfast ; and numbers of 
stragglers were stalking about the valley, and pick- 
ing up the unlucky lizards, and other small game 
that fell in their way. Hussein contrived, by 
creeping among the camels, to get near enough to 
shoot one of these fine birds, which he brought to 
us ; but if it was done for our gratification, he made 
a sad mistake ; for it was a piece of wanton cruelty, 
which none of us would have dreamed of perpetrat- 
ing. It was a beautiful creature, and measured 
nearly eight feet across the wings. 

The pastures became more luxuriant as we ad- 
vanced, and in crossing the plain of El Foura the 
herbage reached to the knees of our dromedaries. 
Mr. Pell, Mr. Roberts, and I, were a little way in 
advance of the party, when we reached the little 
town of El Malek, which occupies an eminence 
about the middle of the plain, so regular in its 
form that it might almost be supposed to be arti- 
ficial. The whole inhabitants appeared to be 
collected on the green slope under the town ; and, 
as we passed, two or three Arabs came forward and 
stopped us ; and when we asked what they wanted, 
answered very unceremoniously, "Jloos" — "money." 
"Ah! don't you wish you may get it?" said 
our friend Roberts ; a reply which, not being 



190 



TWO ROMAN WELLS. 



[let. IV. 



intelligible at this distance from the city of Lon- 
don, only produced the reiterated demand for 
u floos^ floos!" We were soon joined by Sheich 
Hussein, between whom and the Arabs the usual 
salutations passed, with no great appearance of 
cordiality on either side. The sheich appeared to 
have no very favourable opinion of his acquaint- 
ances, and hurried us on. 

Near this town are two fine Roman wells of 
hewn stone. They appear to be of considerable 
depth, and the uppermost course of stones, which 
are a sort of coarse white marble, are worn into 
deep grooves, by the frequent passing of the ropes 
over them. Around the wells were a number of 
stone troughs for watering cattle. 

We had scarcely reached the opposite side of 
the plain, when the appearance of a large body of 
Arabs crossing one of the hills, about a mile off, 
frightened Hussein from his direct course ; and he 
hurried us into one of the valleys, sending two of 
his party to reconnoitre along the heights. It was 
either a false alarm, or we had not been observed, 
for we saw no more of the party. 

W e were now once more among green hills, and 
rode on in high spirits till four o'clock, when a 
piece of beautiful green sward, thickly bestrewn 
with gay flowers, tempted us to pitch our tents. 
Just before reaching this place I narrowly escaped 



LET. IV.] 



A SCOTCH- LOO KING SCENE. 



191 



a bad fall. We were riding along a very narrow 
track on the side of a pretty steep hill, when my 
dromedary stepped beyond the path, and slid down 
the bank below. I fortunately fell on the higher side 
of the path, or I might have had an awkward roll. 

The rich green turf, and the gay flowers with 
which it was enamelled, proved a less comfortable 
bed than the dry sand of the desert. I awoke, 
stiff, and aching in all my joints, from the damp. 
The scenery now reminded me very much of the 
south of Scotland ; the same round green hills ; the 
little burn winding in the bottom of the valley 
" wi' bickering, dancing dazzle and the same 
thick, drizzling mist too, that forced me to draw 
my grey maud over my head — the first Scottish 
plaid, perhaps, that ever crossed these hills. As 
we descended, the mist gradually cleared away, 
and about nine o'clock we reached the village of 
Semouak, around which we saw many remains of 
Roman buildings. This may possibly be Eshtemoa^ 
one of the cities of the hill country, which were 
allotted to the children of Aaron*. A few old men, 
and the women and children, alone remained in the 
village ; for the conscription had lately been in 
operation, and the young men had fled to the 
mountains. 

As we drew nearer to Hebron, the remains of 



* Joshua, xxi. 14. 



192 



HEBRON. 



[let. IV* 



the old terraces on the hill-sides showed that the 
country had once b ?n covered with vineyards; 
while the corn-fields in the valleys, and the herds 
of cows grazing in the rich pastures, awakened 
many recollections of home. 

About twelve o^clock we came in sight of Hebron, 
called by the Arabs El Khali! Ibrahim, " Abraham 
the friend." It is a pretty, cheerful-looking town, 
beautifully situated on the slope of a hill, and sur- 
rounded by vineyards and olive-grounds. The great 
mosque, built over the tombs of the Patriarchs, rises 
conspicuously above the rest of the town ; and, in 
riding towards the place where our tents were to 
be pitched, we passed a large square tank, with 
steps descending into it at the angles, which has 
been supposed, without any evidence, to be " the 
pool of Hebron," where David aanged the sons of 
Rimmon. 

While we were arranging matters in our tents, 
a pretty little boy, about six or seven years old, 
entered, accompanied by a Greek servant, with a 
very polite invitation to take up our abode at the 
house of one Elias, a saraff, the only Christian in 
the place. We declined this invitation, believing 
that we ' should be more comfortable and inde- 
pendent in our tents ; but presently the servant 
returned with a second message begging that we 
would, at least, breakfast in the h .use next morn- 



LET. IV.] 



HEBRON. 



193 



ing ; that Elias was himself absent, but that the 
ladies entreated that we would honour them with 
our presence. There was no refusing this in- 
vitation. 

In the mean time we were uncertain as to our 
future proceeding. The plague was in J erusalem ; 
and, although that would not have deterred us 
from going thither, the quarantine of twenty days, 
imposed on all persons leaving the city, would have 
been a serious inconvenience. To me, indeed, it 
was an insurmountable obstacle to my visiting 
Jerusalem at present. After further inquiries we 
determined to proceed to Gaza, from whence Mr. 
Pell might return to Egypt by way of El Arish ; 
while Mr. Roberts and I continued our route along 
the coast to Beyrout. 

The govern* r, we found, had gone to Jerusalem 
some time before, and was still absent ; and we 
were received by his vakeel, or deputy, with as 
much politeners as could be expected from a very 
vulgar fellow tfi dressed in a little brief authority." 
He promised to procure the animals we required 
to take us to Gaza, and to send them to our tents 
the following evening, as we wished to start early 
the morning after. 

We did not find the interior of the town to 
correspond w' Ji its external beauty. The streets 
are steep, cUrk, and very dirty, and the bazaars 

K 



1.94 



HEBRON. 



[let. IV. 



neither extensive nor well stocked. The popula- 
tion is only about 4,000 ; of these, forty families 
are Jews, and Elias the Saraff and his family are 
the only Christians in the town. The Mooslims 
of Hebron have always had the character of being 
most bigoted and fanatical ; and we found that 
it would be useless, if not dangerous, to attempt 
to enter their mosque. 

It was one of the many churches founded by the 
empress Helena, the mother of Constantine, and 
was long an object of Mooslim pilgrimage. It is 
said to be built over the cave of Machpelah, and 
contains the supposititious tombs of Abraham, 
Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob, and Leah. For 
more than a century, only two or three Europeans 
have gained access to the mosque. Ali Bey, who 
visited it in 1807, and passed as a Mooslim, gives 
a minute description of the sepulchres which, he 
says, are each in a separate apartment, on the 
level of the floor of the mosque. All the sepul- 
chres, according to his account, " have separate 
entrances, closed with iron gates, and by wooden 
doors, plated with silver, and secured by silver 
bolts and padlocks. The tombs of the patriarchs 
are covered with rich carpets of green silk, magni- 
ficently embroidered with gold ; those of their 
wives are red, embroidered in like manner. I 
counted nine, one over the other, on the sepulchre 



LET. IV.] 



HEBRON. 



195 



of Abraham. The rooms also which contain the 
tombs are covered with rich carpets." But this 
very circumstantial description is at variance with 
earlier accounts, which represent all the six tombs 
as in a cave under the mosque. Benjamin of 
Tudela, who visited Hebron in the twelfth century, 
gives the following description of the place *. Cc I 
came to Hebron seated on a plaine ; for Hebron 
the ancient metropolitan citie stood upon an hill ; 
but it is now desolate. But in the valley there is 
a duplieitie, that is, as it were, two little valleyes, 
and there the citie is placed ; and there is an huge 
temple there, called Saint Abraham, and that place 
w T as the synagogue of the J ews, at what time the 
country was possessed by the Ismaelites. But the 
Gentiles, who afterwards obtayned and held the 
same, built sixe sepulchres in the temple, by the 
names of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob 
and Lia, and the inhabitants now tell the pilgrimes 
that they are the monuments of the patriarchs ; 
and great summes of money are offered there. But 
surely to any Jew coming thither, and offering the 
porters a reward, the cave is showed, with the iron 
gate opened, which from antiquitie remayneth yet 
there. And a man goeth down with a lamp-light 
into the first cave, w r here nothing is found, nor also 
in the second, untill he enter the third, in which 



* (e Purchas his Pilgrimes," 
K 2 



196 



HEBRON. 



[let. IV. 



there are the sixe monuments, the one right over 
against the other ; and each of them are engraven 
with characters, and distinguished by the name of 
every one of them after this manner — Sepulckrum 
Abraham patris nostri, super quern pax sit ; and so 
the rest, after the same example. And a lampe 
perpetually burneth in the cave day and night ; 
the officers of the temple continually ministering 
oile for the maintenance thereof." Sanderson, who 
was in Hebron in 1601, agrees with the Spanish 
J ew in describing the tombs as in a cave under the 
church ; but, in his time, pilgrims do not appear 
to have been allowed to enter the cave ; 44 but at 
a square hole, through a thick wall, they might 
discern a little light of a lamp." " The Jews," he 
says, " do their ceremonies of prayer there without. 
The Moores and Turkes are permitted to have a 
little more sight, which is at the top, where they 
let down the oyle for the lampe." 

Our servants who, being Mahommedans, were 
admitted into the mosque, could not give a very 
distinct account of what they had seen ; but, from 
their description, it appeared that the sepulchres 
were in the mosque itself. They were only allowed, 
however, to look through the iron gate. 

On the 17th, we had had high wind and heavy 
showers during the night, and I found the rain 
dropping through the roof of the tent, when I 
awoke in the morning. 



LET. IV.] 



HEBRON* 



197 



Hussein was impatient to return home, and we 
accordingly met in Mr, PelFs tent, to pay him the 
balance of his 3000 piastres, and to settle all our 
remaining accounts with him. Although we were 
not bound to settle with him on any other terms 
than those of our written agreement, we made the 
same allowance for detaining his camels at Petra, 
which we had paid the Beni Sayds for remaining 
at Mount Sinai. Beyond this we had no intention 
of giving him anything ; but as it is customary to 
make him some present at the end of the journey, 
and as we wished to part in good terms with him, 
notwithstanding our suspicions of his honesty, we 
gave him two silk dresses, which were purchased 
for him in the bazaar. At the same time, we re- 
minded him of his responsibility for the property 
which had been stolen at Petra, and assured him 
that he would be called on, either to restore the 
stolen articles, or to pay their value, as soon as he 
appeared in Cairo, where he and Mr. Pell would 
probably arrive about the same time*. 

Sheich Hussein did not appear much pleased 

* Since my return home, I have received a letter from my 
friend HanafFee Ismael, in which he says, " I claimed the pro- 
perty stolen from us in Petra from Sheich Hussein the Alloeen, 
on his arrival in Cairo, and have recovered it all. The pistols, 
boxes, bags, everything were in his possession, and were given 
up ; and I have no doubt that he had himself instigated the 
Fellahs to rob us." 



198 



HEBRON. 



[let. IV. 



with this announcement, but he had no opportunity 
of making any reply, for at that moment a sudden 
gust shook the tent ; the cords slackened, the pins 
on the windward side gave way, and we were all 
buried together under the mass of wet canvas. 
When we had extricated ourselves from our awk- 
ward situation, we had no time to think of Hussein, 
There was evidently little comfort to be expected 
in the tents, amidst a storm of wind and rain ; and 
we resolved not only to breakfast, but to offer our- 
selves as guests, at the house of Elias, whither 
we hastened. 

We were received very kindly by the Sitt Helani^ 
" the lady Helen," a good-looking young woman 
of three or four-and- twenty, the wife of Elias, and 
by his mother, a very nice old lady, who had 
evidently been a beauty in her youth. They had 
provided an excellent breakfast, and appeared de- 
lighted at the thoughts of having us to live in the 
house. 

As we entered, the Sitt held out her hand, which 
in my simplicity I would have shaken, after our 
fashion, when she took mine, and, bowing down 9 
kissed it, and touched it with her forehead. Her 
sister Marianne, a laughing girl of sixteen, went 
through the same ceremonious salutation; and 
nothing could induce either of them to eat with us 5 
or even to sit while we ate. All this, however, ap- 



LET. IV.] 



HEBRON. 



199 



peared to be more a matter of etiquette than 
anything else. These young ladies might think it 
a very improper familiarity to sit and eat with us ; 
but they were troubled with no awkward bashful- 
ness, and chatted without reserve or intermission 
while we ate our breakfast. 

I have no doubt that the plague had reached 
Hebron, although it had not been officially noticed, 
nor any quarantine established. There had been 
four or five deaths the day before we arrived ; on 
the 17th there were six ; and this day (the 18th) 
seven funerals. The "mourning women 1 ' were 
heard continually in the streets ; and groups of 
females, enveloped in their long white veils, were 
all day seated among the tombs, screaming and 
slapping their faces, or sitting in mournful silence 
by the new graves. 

Every hour that we remained was at the risk of 
having a quarantine imposed upon us ; we were 
impatient to depart ; and, as neither camel nor 
mule had yet appeared at our tents, we once more 
bent our steps towards the serai. W e found the 
vakeel in conversation with an officer who was con- 
ducting a party of conscripts to the head-quarters 
at Gaza. They were seated on a mastabhah in the 
open court, and at a little distance from them stood 
a carpenter-looking man, with his sleeves tucked 
up, his hammer in hand, and a heap of oblong 



200 



HEBRON. 



[let. IV. 



billets of wood at his feet. On the opposite side 
of the court, two soldiers were standing sentry by 
a strong door, with a square iron-grated aperture 
in it, through which the face of a prisoner might be 
seen, from time to time, looking anxiously forth. 

The unlucky inmates of this dungeon were con- 
scripts who had tried to escape. At a signal from 
the vakeel, the door was opened, and the conscripts 
were brought out one by one. Each, as he came 
forward, had his wrists placed in a square wooden 

billet of this form 1 ^^^^^^^^^^ 5 a bar of 

wood was then firmly nailed over it ; and, thus 
handcuffed, they were to be marched a weary 
journey of two days to Gaza. They were mostly 
young men ; but one unfortunate Sheich el Bellad, 
who had failed to bring back a deserter belonging 
to his village, was handcuffed and marched off in 
his stead. 

In answer to our complaint, that he had not kept 
his promise to send us the camels, the vakeel pro- 
tested that he had sent an order to the sheich of 
the camel-drivers, to furnish us with whatever 
beasts we required, and if they were not arrived, 
Inshallah !• they would come to-morrow. 

u And if they do not come to-morrow," said the 
agha, " you can go with me. I have soldiers. 
Wallah! you will be safe with me" 



LET. IV.] 



HEBRON. 



201 



I believe they wanted to force the agha's pro- 
tection upon us, that there might be a pretext for 
demanding baksheesh. We replied that we were 
quite able to protect ourselves, and could not wait 
for the pleasure of his company ; and as to the 
order to the sheich of the camel-drivers, we did 
not believe that any such order had been sent. 

Oddly enough the sheich entered at that very 
moment, and was received with a storm of abuse 
from the vakeel. He stood very patiently, with 
his hands folded in his sleeves ; but it was evident 
from his bewildered look, and the anxiety of the 
vakeel to prevent him from speaking, that he had 
received no order for the camels. The poor man 
looked first at us, then at the vakeel, and made one 
or two unsuccessful attempts to speak. 

" O thou most unlucky! did we not send to thee 
for camels for these Ingles V said the vakeel. 

" By Allah ! O Effendee! your—" 

44 O, dog ! thou wouldst lie to us. O ! be silent 
— be silent." 

" By your soul, O Effendee! — " 

" Give him the koorbadj" whispered the agha. 

" Ah, the hog! give him the koorbadj" cried the 
vakeel ; and two fellows started forward and seized 
the poor sheich by the shoulders, while a third, with 
the koorbadj in his hand, tucking up the sleeve of 
his right arm, was preparing to strike, when we 

k 8 



202 



HEBRON. 



[let. iv. 



interfered. There was no cause for punishing the 
man, we said; it was evident that he had received 
no orders about the camels ; we felt ourselves very- 
ill-used ; and would assuredly complain of the 
treatment we had experienced, if we were detained 
longer than noon. 

We were then told, that, having the Pacha's 
firman, a ckawoss would be sent with us ; and 
that we might seize on any camels we could find- 
This was not a very agreeable mode of proceeding, 
but it appeared to be the only way of getting out 
of our dilemma. We had seen some camels at a 
khan which we passed in the morning, and thither 
we went, accompanied by the governor's ckawoss. 

We tried at first by fair means to hire the 
beasts we wanted ; but, although their camels were 
standing idle, not a man would engage on any 
terms to take us to Gaza. We were in the Nizam 
dress, and there was no mistaking IsmaeFs Egyp- 
tian face ; and the people evidently suspected that 
we were on the Pacha's service, and that our pro- 
mise to pay them so much above the usual govern- 
ment rate was not very likely to be fulfilled. We 
had no alternative, then, but to act in the charac- 
ter which they were determined to force upon us ; 
to take the camels, and pay the hire we had pro- 
mised on our arrival at Gaza. Six camels were 
accordingly taken to carry the tents and baggage ; 



LET. IV.] 



HEBRON. 



203 



and the ckawoss was sent in search of asses for us 
to ride, as neither mules nor horses were to be 
got. 

The tents were struck, and the baggage 
arranged ; and the camel-drivers were proceeding 
unwillingly to load their beasts, when the ckawoss 
appeared, driving half-a-dozen donkeys before him. 
We did not think of inquiring whose they were, 
or how they had been procured ; and I was busy 
arranging a blanket on one of them, by way of 
saddle, when we were surrounded by a crowd of 
old men and women, who entreated us most ear- 
nestly not to take away their asses. It was rather 
a perplexing scene, for we had felt some compunc- 
tion in forcing the camel-drivers to go against their 
will. It was in vain that we promised payment. 
" But we are . not going to steal your asses, O 
Sheich; you shall be paid — you shall fix the price 
yourself." " May your bounty be extolled, O 
Effendee," replied an old grey-bearded Arab ; 
" but who will bring them back to us I We are 
old. W e cannot go to Gaza/' 

It was clear that, whatever we might do with 
the camel- drivers, who were sturdy fellows, we 
could not take the asses of these poor people ; and 
they were accordingly released, greatly to the 
delight of the owners, and much to the surprise of 
the ckawoss, and two or three soldiers who were 
looking on. 



204 



TERGOUMI. 



[let. IV. 



Late in the afternoon we started on foot, and 
rode a little way on the camels ; but notwithstand- 
ing our dromedary-riding for a month before, I 
found the twisting motion of the camel so intoler- 
able, that, although we only travelled four hours, 
it was one of the most uncomfortable journeys I 
ever made. Any one who is in the habit of riding 
on horseback will find no great fatigue or incon- 
venience in riding a dromedary, though his very 
long step is at first a little unpleasant ; but the 
camel has a heavy, jolting gait, and as he moves 
both feet on each side together, your back is twisted 
at every step, and your head is kept nodding like 
a Chinese joss. The consequence is an acute pain 
in the small of your back 5 and the back of your 
neck. 

In the evening we encamped beside Tergoumi, 
a small village, surrounded by pasture and corn- 
fields. As we unloaded the camels, and pitched 
our tents, the villagers watched our proceedings 
from a little distance ; but no one bade us welcome, 
or offered us any assistance. 

Next morning (19 th March) we had a regular 
mutiny among the camel-drivers. They refused 
to allow their camels to be loaded, or to move a 
step further, unless we paid them, on the spot, the 
hire which we had promised them at Hebron ; 
and they appeared to be backed by some of the 



LET. IV.] 



BED EL GEBRIM. 



205 



men of the village. We had offered to pay them 
one-half at Hebron and the remainder at Gaza, 
which is the usual practice ; and of course we 
would not consent to do any more here. Even 
this seemed partly to remove their suspicions of 
our character, and we started evidently on a better 
understanding. 

We were now in a cultivated country, among 
corn-fields and olive-plantations. There is abun- 
dant evidence of the almost inexhaustible fertility 
of the soil in the rich crops which are produced by 
a very rude and imperfect system of husbandry, 
and in the rank luxuriance of the vegetation which 
covers the uncultivated portions of land. 

At every village we found remains of the archi- 
tecture of an earlier age, in the fragments of granite 
and marble pillars used in the construction of 
modern houses, and of the wells from which the 
villages are supplied with water. These remains 
are very numerous at a village called Bed el Gebrim, 
near which are the ruins of a Roman arch, and 
other indications of its having been a place of 
some importance. We saw, at the same place, 
several subterranean granaries, similar to those 
under the ramparts at Malta. 

From hence to Gaza, the country is beautifully 
varied with corn-fields and rich pasture lands, in- 
terspersed with clumps of trees and old olive-groves. 



206 



GAZA. 



[let. IV, 



The olive-grounds and gardens are more numerous 
as you approach Gaza ; and the town itself, occu- 
pying a slight eminence, has a picturesque and 
rather imposing appearance. 

We arrived about noon at this ancient city of 
the Philistines, and pitched our tents on a piece of 
open ground not far from the Pacha's barracks ; 
and, after settling with our camel-drivers, who 
were now willing to go with us to the end of 
the world, we went to pay our respects to the 
governor. 

We found the gate of the serai closed, and 
surrounded by a number of women, some of them 
talking together in little groups, apparently very 
much excited, while others were seated on the 
ground on each side of the gate, with their heads 
resting on their knees, and one or two were weep- 
ing aloud. While we stood looking at these 
mourners, a small wicket in the large gate was 
opened, and a young man thrust out into the 
street. As he looked round, as if in search -of 
some one, the sitting figures started on their feet, 
and the whole crowd of females rushed forward to 
meet him. One after another had turned from 
him with' a look of disappointed hope, when a 
woman from the outermost verge of the crowd 
pressed forward with an exclamation of joy, and, 
seizing him by the arm, hurried him away. The 



LET. IV.] 



GAZA, 



207 



lad was a conscript, who had been rejected as unfit 
for military service. 

On knocking at the gate we were admitted, and 
found the governor seated in the quadrangle of the 
building with two or three officers, smoking their 
pipes, while a party of conscripts were undergoing 
the examination of a medical officer. Those who 
were found fit for service were marched to the 
opposite side of the court, while those who were 
rejected were thrust out at the wicket as we had 
seen. The governor, who was a bey, and appeared 
to be a gentleman-like, well-bred man, apologised 
that the duty in which he was then engaged 
obliged him to receive us so unceremoniously, and 
begged that we would come and drink coffee with 
him in the morning* There were troops marching 
to Acre, he said, and no horses could be got ; he 
was afraid there might be some difficulty in getting 
camels, but he would do all he could for us. He 
then told us that the quarantine at Jerusalem was 
at an end. 

Just as we returned to our tents, a salute was 
fired in honour of Mehemet Ali's safe return from 
Senaar, a courier having come in with the news 
of his arrival at Cairo. We found our camel- 
drivers waiting for us, and in great distress. A 
suhra^ or impressment of animals for the service of 
government, was going on, and their camels had 



208 



GAZA. 



[let. IV. 



been seized by the soldiers, and they intreated us 
to intercede for them with the governor. We 
promised to do so, and seeing Rustum Bey, the 
commander-in-chief of the district, among the 
officers at the fort, we addressed ourselves to him, 
and begged that the men might be allowed to 
return with their camels to Hebron. They should 
be sent back immediately, he said ; it was a mis- 
take ; the soldiers had no right to take any animal 
that was in our service. We admitted that they 
were no longer in our service ; but as we had 
brought the men here against their will, we were 
desirous that they should be allowed to return 
home, and requested as a favour that he would 
grant them permission. The permission was ac- 
cordingly given, and the men departed. Our 
success in this affair brought us another suppliant 
in the evening. This was a conscript, who had 
been servant to an acquaintance of Mr. PelFs in 
Cairo ; and, being found incapable of learning any 
sort of military duty, had been made cook at the bar- 
racks. He had nothing to cook except khommoos, 
and longed to return to the flesh-pots of Egypt ; 
and he now came, he said, to kiss Mr. PelFs feet, 
and to entreat him to speak to Rustum Bey that 
he might be sent back to Cairo. He could hardly 
be persuaded that this was a matter beyond our 
interference. 



IV.] 



GAZA. 



209 



The whole of the hill on which Gaza is built has 
been included in the ancient walls, which may still 
be traced. There are no antiquities of any im- 
portance ; but capitals, and fragments of granite 
and marble pillars, appear in great abundance, 
forming the lintels of doors, and built into the 
walls of houses. In one house, we found the roof 
of the apartment supported by five Corinthian 
capitals of white marble, placed one above another ; 
and in the interior of the mosque are two rows 
of columns of grey granite, which have belonged 
to some Roman temple. The houses are built of 
stone, and the interior of the town has a clean and 
comfortable appearance. It contains about 4000 
inhabitants, of whom about 500 are Christians, 
It has been several times destroyed and rebuilt ; 
but appears to have risen to some importance 
under Hadrian, and received from Constantino the 
rank and privileges of a city. The suburbs are a 
collection of poor hovels, but the country around 
is rich and well cultivated. 

Of the Gaza of the Philistines there is no 
vestige remaining ; and it was probably not on 
the site of the present town, although Baumgarten 
and some of the early travellers assert that they 
saw the remains of the temple of Dagon here. 
" Baldness is come upon Gaza" — " it is forsaken." 

Two regiments, one of light dragoons, the other 



210 



GAZA. 



[let. IV. 



lancers, marched from Gaza on the 22nd for Acre. 
The men appeared to he healthy, active, young 
fellows, and were very well mounted. The horses 
were more compact and useful-looking than many 
of our light dragoons', and in capital condition. 
They were armed with the sabre and pistols, and 
the lance, with its little red-and-white pennon ; 
and, as far as I can pretend to judge, their accou- 
trements were good, although not so neatly worn 
as by our soldiers. 

The whole scene was highly animating and pic- 
turesque. The loud neighing of the horses, the 
glitter of arms, the trumpets sounding ; and the long 
lances, with their glancing points and gay pennons, 
appearing here and there among the trees, as they 
wound through the narrow lanes that divide the 
gardens, led the thoughts back to the chivalry of 
older times ; and the officers galloping their fine 
horses to and fro, made one feel impatient of 
lounging about on foot amid such a spirit-stirring 
scene. 

More painful reflections were awakened, by the 
groups of women collected on the high bank above 
the road ; mothers and wives, met to take a last 
parting look, perhaps, of those most dear to them ; 
and hands were raised, and blessings loudly in- 
voked, as each familiar face was recognised in the 
passing ranks. 



LET. IV.] 



RUINS OP ASKELON. 



211 



We left Gaza early on the 23rd of March; and, 
as we had only been able to procure five camels, 
which were barely sufficient to carry our tents and 
baggage, we started on foot, and in the evening 
pitched our tents near a small village, which we 
did not enter. 

Next morning, while the rest of the party con- 
tinued on the direct road to J affa, Ismael and I 
walked to the little town of Migdol, about two 
miles to the west, to procure, if possible, some 
additional cattle. The town is under a military 
governor, who received us very politely, in a clean 
but rather poor apartment. There were few 
animals to be got, he said, as most of them had 
already been taken for the service of the troops, 
but what there were, he would get for us ; and his 
messenger soon returned with one fine strong camel, 
and an offer of all the asses in the village. I was 
then in the English dress; and I have always found 
that an Englishman has no difficulty in getting 
whatever he wants in this country, if the people 
have it to give. We took the camel, and, having 
selected four good donkeys, rejoined our party. 

To the westward of the road to Jaffa, within a 
short distance of the sea, are the ruins of Askelon. 
After leaving the cultivated country, and passing 
among some low sand-hills, you come to a long 
line of broken wall, part of the defences, probably, 



212 



RUINS OF ASKELON. 



[let. IV. 



erected during the Crusades, when the strength 
of its position caused the possession of Askelon to 
be often warmly contested. The plain of Askelon 
is famous as the field on which the Saracens were 
defeated by Godfrey of Bouillon in 1099, and 
where Richard the First gained a signal victory 
over Saladin. 

The ditch may still be easily traced, although 
in some places filled up by the drifting sand ; and, 
within it, the ruins of the city cover a fine slope 
facing the sea. The walls, which are of great 
strength, are principally constructed with large 
fragments from Roman buildings, among which 
are some entire granite pillars ; and the mole, of 
which some portion remains, appears to have been 
built of the same materials. The city occupies, 
within the walls, a space of about two miles in 
circuit ; and, as the Pacha of Egypt has caused 
the sand to be cleared away, with the intention of 
building a new town and harbour from the ancient 
materials, many interesting remains have been 
exposed to view. 

Near the centre of the field of ruins there has 
stood a temple of large dimensions, the pillars of 
which, although all prostrate, are still entire ; 
each shaft being of one piece of grey granite. The 
capitals and entablature are of white marble, of 
the Corinthian order, and in the purest taste. 



LET. IV.] 



RUINS OF ASKELON. 



213 



Near this, a very beautiful colossal female figure, 
of white marble, forms part of the substructure of 
a building, and might be easily removed from its 
present situation. Friezes and entablatures, and 
fragments of marble statues, lie scattered about in 
every direction. 

One of the most interesting ruins is that of an 
early Christian church, probably of the fourth or 
fifth century ; the walls, pavement, and bases of 
the columns showing the exact plan of the building, 
which corresponds with that of other early churches 
in the Holy Land. The pavement, and the capi- 
tals and bases of the columns, are of polished w 7 hite 
marble. The capitals are corrupt in taste, but 
beautifully carved, as is frequently seen in similar 
instances, when the arts had begun to decline. 
They bear an eight-pointed cross, encircled in a 
wreath of laurel. 

Askelon was a bishopric in the early ages of 
Christianity ; but, after the expulsion of the Chris- 
tians, it ceased to be a place of any importance. 
Sandys describes it as u a place of no note, except 
that the Turke doth here keep a garrison." It is 
now a place of still less note, except that the 
deserted ruins, and the poor village of shepherds 
beside the walls, remain as an evidence of the ful- 
filment of the prophecy, " Askelon shall be a deso- 
lation, it shall not be inhabited, and the sea coast 



214 



SHDOOD — JAFFA. 



[let. IV. 



shall be dwellings and cottages for shepherds, and 
folds for flocks." 

A little further north is the ruined village of 
Toukrair, supposed by some to be on the site of 
Ekron, another of the five satrapies of the Philis- 
tines. There is 3 however, no sufficient evidence 
that this is Ekron. It was prophesied " Ekron 
shall be rooted up,* 5 ' and its name is now unknown 
in the country. 

About ten miles from Jaffa is Shdood, the Ash- 
dod of Scripture. It occupies the summit of a hill, 
surrounded with rich pasture, in a finely undulated 
country, partially cultivated, and in other places 
covered with a luxuriant crop of thistles. It must 
have been re-built and fortified after its destruc- 
tion by Uzziah, as it afterwards stood repeated 
and protracted sieges by the Egyptians and Assy- 
rians, with whom its commanding position gave it 
great importance as a frontier town. It may again 
become important in a military point of view. 

The appearance of Jaffa is exceedingly pictur- 
esque. It is situated on a hill which rises about 
150 feet above the sea, and is surrounded by 
orange groves and gardens, separated by hedges of 
the prickly-pear. We reached the town about 
three o'clock, and set up our tents without the 
walls, in preference to seeking the hospitality of one 
of the convents. 



LET. IV ] 



JAFFA. 



215 



The town is surrounded by a wall, apparently of 
no great strength, flanked with towers at intervals. 
Immediately within the gate there is a gaudy-look- 
ing fountain of white marble, ornamented with 
painting, and with Arabic inscriptions in gold 
letters. From the inequality of the ground on 
which the town is built, most of the streets are 
paved in steps, like those of Valetta ; the buildings 
are very much crowded together, and the interior 
by no means corresponds with the picturesque 
appearance of the town from a distance. 

Jaffa contains several convents, one of which, the 
Armenian, has acquired a painful notoriety from 
having been the hospital where Napoleon is 
accused of having poisoned his sick soldiers. 

There is a considerable manufacture of soap here, 
from which Damascus and Cairo, and all the prin- 
cipal towns, are supplied ; and fruit, particularly 
oranges and water-melons^ are exported in great 
quantities. The water-melon of J affa is celebrated 
all over the country, and is one of the finest fruits 
we get in Beyrout, 

The harbour is a very bad one. It is narrow, 
and formed by a ledge of rocks running north and 
south ; there is not more than three fathoms' water 
in the deepest part ; and, when the wind blows 
strong from the northward, the sea breaks in with 
great violence. Its former importance could only 



216 



JAFFA. 



[let. IV. 



have arisen from its being the port of Jerusalem ; 
indeed the only sea-port in Judea. It never could 
have been a safe or commodious one. 

There are no antiquities ; and alt! jugh the house 
of Simon the tanner may still be pointed out, I did 
not seek it. There is no place of the kind men- 
tioned in the sacred history, which is not shown to 
travellers in the modern cities. In Beyrout, and, 
I think, in all the towns along the coast, the tanners 
carry on their trade Cc by the sea side." 

The quarantine being over at Jerusalem, my 
friends determined to proceed thither ; but, as the 
journey from Egypt had occupied more time than 
I had anticipated, and I was very anxious to reach 
Beyrout without delay, I most unwillingly made up 
my mind to part from them here, and to take the 
route along the coast by Tyre and Sidon. 

After our long wandering in the Desert, where 
all are so dependent on each other for comfort, I 
felt sad enough at parting with my fellow-travellers; 
some of whom I shall probably never see again ; 
but who will remain associated, in my mind, with 
some of the most interesting recollections of my 
life. Many a happy and joyous hour we spent 
together,' in spite of all the privatioi: s and discom- 
forts of a Desert journey. 

On the 26th of March I left Jaffi* in the morn- 
ing with Salem, my Arab servant, the Surrugee, 



LET. IV.] 



DEPARTURE FROM JAFFA. 



217 



and his three rather indifferent horses ; and after 
a lonely and silent ride of four hours along the 
beach, I turned from the sea-side, and came sud- 
denly upon the two regiments of cavalry that had 
left Gaza the day before our departure. 

They were encamped in a wide hollow, on the 
meadows on each side of a rapid stream, which 
was running from bank to brae, dancing and 
foaming along on its way to the sea. The horses 
were picketed to iron pegs driven into the ground, 
and covered the whole pasture, the tether of each 
being just of sufficient length to prevent his fight- 
ing with his neighbours. To reach the ford by 
which we crossed the stream, we had to ride 
through the midst of the encampment ; and as 
the dragoon horses seemed inclined to resent the 
intrusion of my sorry jades into their pasture, I 
had enough to do to fight my way through them. 
I had no sooner driven off one brute that ran at 
me open-mouthed, by a smart rap over the nose, 
than I had another at my side, rearing up, and 
sparring with his fore-feet; and scarcely had I got 
beyond his reach, when I was threatened with two 
or three pair of heels at once. I had too constant 
employment for my eyes, while running the gaunt- 
let in this way, to look how Salem and the Sur- 
rugee were fating behind me ; but on extricating 

L 



218 



SEA-COASTS IN THE 



[let. iv. 



ourselves from the crowd, I found that they had 
come off scatheless, although one of my portman- 
teaus had suffered a severe fracture. 

It was just four o'clock when I reached the 
khan, which is the usual termination of the first 
day's journey from Jaffa; but with two hours of 
daylight before me, and a fine moon, I felt no 
inclination to stop at this wretched place, with no 
better society than my own thoughts, for which I 
found more entertainment on the road. I deter- 
mined to ride on, and take my chance of finding 
quarters at some of the villages before me ; and 
I cut short the loud remonstrance of the surrugee 
by riding on, and telling Salem to bring him 
along. 

I again struck down to the sea-side, that I might 
enjoy the cool breeze and the glorious sunset; and 
about five o'clock came to a beautiful bank sloping 
down to the beach, covered with rich green sward, 
and sprinkled with anemones, and sheltered by a 
thicket of myrtle. There I dismounted, and sat 
down to watch the setting sun ; while Salem spread 
the carpet, and set out the provisions he had 
brought, and lighted a fire to boil the coffee. I 
rested here till the sun was quite set, and the 
moon shining in full splendour, for in this country 
there is scarcely any interval of twilight. 



LET. IV.] 



NEIGHBOURHOOD OF JAFFA. 



219 



No' pale gradations quench his ray, 
No twilight dews his wrath allay ; 
With disk like battle-target red, 
He rushes to his burning bed, 
Dyes the wide wave with bloody light, 
Then sinks at once— and all is night. 

We had scarcely left this spot, and were pro- 
ceeding along the shore, when the surrugee rode 
up to me, and u begged to represent" that we 
ought to return to the regular road. Now it 
appeared to me, that, in a country where there 
were no proper roads, it mattered very little 
whether we kept to a beaten track or not, so we 
continued in the right direction; and besides I 
wanted to see the ruins of Cesarea, which lie close 
to the sea, by moonlight. But the surrugee had 
been filling Salem's head with terrible stories of 
deserters, who were prowling about everywhere, 
and of the danger of travelling by night ; and at 
the mention of Kaiserieh, they both held up their 
hands in amazement. " What did I want there ? 
— what could I want there ? There was nothing 
but old walls," they said, "no houses, no people 
— it was a bad place." At Salem's earnest en- 
treaty, I loaded and pocketed my pistols, and 
buckled on my sabre, since he saw that I was 
resolved to go on ; and we were scarcely again in 
motion when he called out, in a great fright, 
"Ah, what is that?— see, it comes!" and sure 

l 2 



220 



KUINS OF CESAREA. 



[let. it. 



enough I did see a dark object approaching under 
the shadow of the high bank. It was neither an 
Egyptian deserter, nor a bear, nor an hyena, all 
which agreeable ideas had arisen, one after an- 
other, in Salem's mind. It was so busy poking up 
the sand with its nose that it did not appear to 
notice us till it came within eight or ten yards, 
when it trotted out into the moonlight, a large 
wild-boar. " Well," thought I, " if there is any 
clanger, I have got a pretty couple of courageous 
followers ! " 

About ten o'clock we reached Cesarea, once the 
capital of Palestine, but now a heap of ruins, and 
utterly deserted. The moon threw a bright but 
ghastly light over the old grey walls and towers ; 
and the only sounds we heard were the hooting of 
the owl among the ruins, and the sullen, measured 
roar of the waves breaking among the rocks 
below. 

On the land side, a wide moat and an old wall 
still inclose the ruins, which appear to cover a 
considerable extent of ground ; and on the north- 
eastern side there are ruins of an aqueduct with 
high arches. Immense blocks rising above the 
waves, at some distance from the shore, appear to 
be the remains of a semicircular mole, beginning 
at the south side and winding round to the west. 

The building of Cesarea was celebrated by a 



LET. IV.] 



CESAREA. 



221 



magnificent festival every fifth year ; and it was 
on one of these " set days" that Herod Agrippa, 
the grandson of the founder, was " smitten by the 
angel of the Lord/' and died, as recorded in 
Acts xii. 23. Here, Cornelius and his kinsmen 
were converted and became " the first-fruits of the 
Gentiles and here Paul delivered his eloquent 
defence against the Jews and their orator Ter- 
tullus. The surrender of Cesarea concluded the 
conquests of the victorious Khaled in Syria. It 
fell in the year 639, and was followed by the sur- 
render of all the other cities, which as yet held 
out, to the Saracen yoke*. It is frequently men- 
tioned, as a place of some note, in the history of 
the crusades ; but, after the expulsion of the Chris- 
tians, it rapidly declined, and has long remained 
silent and tenantless, as now. " The defenced 
city is desolate ; and the habitation forsaken, and 
left like a wilderness." 

The night was beautiful, but bitterly cold ; and 
my two companions grumbled a little at my 
lingering so long about the ruins. They were 
proceeding at a slow pace, and forty or fifty yards 
a-head of me, when they were stopped by two men ; 
and, on riding up, I found them in conversation 
with two as ruffianly-looking fellows as one would 
like to meet with in such a place, and at such an 



* Ockley. 



222 



ARRIVAL AT A FORD. 



[let. IV. 



hour : Egyptians both of them, and like enough to 
be deserters. Salem whispered to me that he 
knew them, by their faces, to be from Damietta. 
They said that a river, a little way on, was so 
swollen by the rain that we could not pass it ; but 
that if we would follow them, pointing to the sand- 
hills above the ruins, they would show us a ford. 
Their tone and manner were not calculated to 
inspire much confidence, any more than their per- 
sonal appearance ; and, my guide declaring his 
perfect knowledge of a ford before us, I told him 
to ride on. On reaching the stream, we found it 
in heavy flood ; and, after several attempts to 
cross, were obliged to give it up, as the horses sunk 
up to the knees in the soft wet sand at the very 
edge of the water. We had proceeded four or five 
hundred yards up the stream, in search of a ford, 
when I observed an old boat fastened to the bank ; 
and was just telling Salem to go and see if it could 
carry one of the horses, when the two Egyptians 
suddenly reappeared. They both ran for the boat, 
into which one of them jumped, while the other 
waited to meet us. The fellow, when we came up, 
proposed that he and his companion should take 
me and the luggage across in the boat ; and that 
Salem and the surrugee might take the horses over 
by a ford, which, he said, was a little higher up. 
Well, thought I, if there is a ford, we may all cross 



LET. IV.] 



TORTURA. 



223 



at it, so this is a most barefaced attempt at reduc- 
ing the odds, which, at present, are in my favour. 
I was completely covered by a large Greek capote, 
which concealed my arms, and which I took off and 
flung across my horse. " Now, Salem," said I, " tell 
him that if one of them will take you and me across 
in the boat, with the luggage, and the other show 
the surrugee the ford, Til give them ten piastres/' 
" Well, what does he say V " No signore, non 
vuole." " Then tell him this. W e are three, and 
well armed ; if they will agree to my proposal, well 
— if not, we'll take the boat from them — tell him 
to throw down that stick." At the sight of the 
pistols the fellow stepped back two or three paces ; 
but when he saw my capote tossed into the boat, 
and a portmanteau about to follow it, he beckoned 
to the surrugee, and walked off without saying a 
word. We had scarcely pushed into the stream, 
when we saw them cross at a ford, not above knee 
deep, nor more than twenty yards above us. The 
whole affair did not occupy ten minutes, and the 
fellow in the boat, who was a lad of eighteen or 
nineteen, never opened his mouth. 

It was past twelve o'clock when we reached 
Tortura, the ancient Dora, a poor village close to 
the sea. There was no khan in the place, and I 
never doubted being received into one or other of 
the houses ; but I soon found that I was reckoning 



224 



THE RIVER KISHON. 



[let. IV. 



without my host. I knocked at half-a-dozen inhos- 
pitable doors ; some of them were not even opened, 
and the others were slammed in our faces the 
moment the inmates caught a sight of my unlucky 
tarboosh^ which, having no hat, I was still obliged 
to wear. At last, by good fortune we found our 
way to the house of the Sheich el Bellad ; but he, 
like a cautious man, instead of opening his door, 
came out on the roof to hold a parley with us. I 
was in the English dress, to be sure, but the red 
tarboosh was enough to convince him that I was 
not Inglez, and he positively refused to open his 
door ; but, pointing to a large court, full of sheep 
and goats, said we would find a place to sleep in 
there. 

After looking into one or two out-houses that 
stood open, I fixed on one that had a dry floor, 
and a door that could be shut ; a fire was soon 
lighted outside the door ; and, after a cup of coffee 
and a pipe, two great comforts on such occasions, 
I wrapped myself in my capote, and slept pretty 
well in spite of the fleas, which were rather 
abundant. 

At day-break, I was again in the saddle, and 
about noori passed the promontory of Cape Carmel, 
and crossing 64 the ancient river, the river Kishon," 
rode into Caipha, a small fortified town on the 
southern side of the bay of Acre. There were 



LET. IV.] 



MOUNT CARMEL. 



225 



three Egyptian ships of war here, for the anchorage 
on this side of the bay is safer than at Acre. 

Mount Carmel is the termination of a range of 
hills traversing Judea from north to south, and 
descends abruptly near the sea. Buckingham calls 
it 1500 feet in height, but it appeared to me con- 
siderably less, and Sandys describes it as " of indif- 
ferent altitude." On the north-eastern side, there 
are still some olive grounds and vineyards, on the 
plain ; and the sides of the mountain clothed with 
bushes and wild vines bespeak the natural fertility 
of the soil, although cc the excellency of Carmel " 
is no more. 

The river Kishon, called Nahr el Makattam, 
flows along the eastern base of the mountain ; and 
' on this side it must have been that the people were 
assembled when Ahab " gathered all Israel unto 
Mount Carmel," and when " the fire of the Lord 
fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice," which 
Elijah had prepared. The locality was admirably 
chosen for the display of this wonderful spectacle ; 
for to the people assembled on the extensive plain 
of Esdraelon, and even on the hills of Samaria and 
Giiboa, the miracle must have been distinctly 
visible. 

Other spots are pointed out as associated with 
events in the life of Elijah, which rest their claim 
to the reverence of pilgrims, on no better evi- 
l 3 



226 



ACRE. 



[let. IV. 



dence than the authority of some monkish tradi- 
tion. 

I would fain have got fresh horses at Caipha, as 
those which I had brought were rather fagged ; but 
the English consular agent was absent, and his 
wife, a Levantine, either could not or would not do 
anything to assist me. She was most distressingly 
polite in her offers of ice and lemonade, but to any 
inquiry about horses would only answer in her 
abominable patois, that " II Consul andar a Acra, 
e non saper quando ritornar." It was only about 
five miles, however; and I walked down to the 
gate, desiring Salem to follow me with the horses. 
At the gate I was stopped by the guard, and, as 
my firman was in one of the portmanteaus, I had 
to amuse myself, till the horses came down, looking 
at the muskets in the guard -house, which were all 
French or English ; some of them marked " Tower 
London." 

I reached Acre at five o'clock, after rather a 
pleasant walk round the bay, and was again stopped 
by the soldiers on guard at the gate, under pre- 
tence that I must perform quarantine before enter- 
ing the town ; but on producing my firman, they 
withdrew without saying a word ; the whole, I 
suppose, being an attempt to extort a little bak- 
sheesh. 

I went directly to the Latin Convent, where I 



LET. IV.] 



ACRE. 



227 



met with rather a churlish reception from a 
crabbed-looking old monk, who first of all ascer- 
tained that I was an Englishman, and then told 
me that the convent was not a locanda for every 
traveller that chose to enter. I pretended not to 
notice the old man's rudeness ; but by a judicious 
use of Sam Slick's two specifics, human natur and 
soft sawder , to one who appeared more rosy about 
the gills, I was at last installed in a small cell with 
an iron bedstead and a good bed on it. A dish of 
boiled rice and a few olives, which was all that the 
convent afforded, was rather too light a repast after 
a long ride, and I was obliged to send to the bazaar 
for some meat. 

I was a little surprised at the incivility with 
which I was, at first, received ; but I have since 
learned that the English do not always meet with 
the same hospitality at these convents which they 
invariably met with some years ago. This is owing, 
it is said, to the influence which the Protestant 
missionaries are gaining among the native Christian 
population, and the jealousy felt by the priests of 
the missionary enterprise of England. 

I was rather annoyed at being kept here all the 
next day by the difficulty of obtaining horses. The 
town was full of soldiers, and two or three regiments 
were encamped before the walls. 

There is not much to be seen in Acre. The 



228 



ACRE. 



[let. IV. 



houses are well and strongly built of stone, with 
flat terraced roofs, and the town has a comfortable 
and rather cheerful appearance. 

The cathedral church of St. Andrew, near the 
sea 3 and the church of St. John, erected by the 
knights of Malta, are the only remains of the 
Christian possessors ; and, among the modern 
buildings there is a beautiful mosque, and a foun- 
tain, near the serai, both built by the infamous 
Djezzar Pacha, with ancient materials brought 
from Cesarea. 

On the west and south the walls are washed by 
the Mediterranean, and on the north and east sides 
the town is encompassed by an extensive and fer- 
tile plain. About a quarter of a mile from the 
walls on the east of the town, stands the Mount of 
Richard Cceur de Lion, from which Napoleon 
directed the assault, when Acre was so gallantly 
defended by Sir Sydney Smith. 

After many sieges, which placed it alternately 
in the hands of the Christians and Saracens, Acre 
was taken by the latter about the end of the 
thirteenth century, and held by them until it was 
ceded to the Turks in 1517. From this time it 
gradually fell into decay ; and Maundrell, who 
visited it in 1696, represents it as being, with the 
exception of the residences of the French factors, 
and the mosque, a vast scene of ruins. About the 



LET. IV.] 



PILGRIMS TO JERUSALEM. 



229 



middle of last century it was taken by surprise by 
the Sheich Daher, under whom it recovered part 
of its former trade ; and the fortifications were 
extended, and the town rebuilt and embellished, by 
Djezzar Pacha, who succeeded him. 

In 1832 it again suffered a siege of eight months, 
and was taken by Ibrahim Pacha. The effects of 
this last attack are still visible in many parts of 
the town, and especially in the convent where I 
staid, of which only a part is now habitable. 

On the 29th I left Acre, and about noon crossed 
the promontory of Has el Abiad, "the White 
Cape," by a steep narrow road cut in the calcareous 
rock of which the mountain is formed. It is evi- 
dently a very ancient road, worn by long use into 
a curve, and so slippery that the horses could with 
difficulty keep their footing, except in the very 
centre of the path. I was, therefore, rather in a 
dilemma when, at the summit of the ascent, I was 
met by a party of pilgrims on their way to J eru- 
salem. There was barely room for two horses to 
pass at the place where we met ; huge masses had 
fallen away from the rock, close to the road ; and 
there was only a low wall of loose stones to protect 
one from a drop of two or three hundred feet into 
the sea. Not liking my situation much, I dis- 
mounted, and clambered to the top of a rock, 
leaving the surrugee to fight his own battle for 



230 



TSUR, OR TYRE. 



[let. IV. 



the passage, which, after a prodigious deal of noise, 
sliding and stumbling of horses, and shouting of 
" Yallah ! yallah ! " was safely effected. The ruts 
made by wheeled carriages are still visible on some 
parts of this road. 

At five o'clock I arrived at Tsur, the insular 
Tyre, where I was most kindly and hospitably 
entertained by the English consular agent, an 
Arab of the Greek church. As there is no trade 
at Tsur, I believe these consular agents, who receive 
no salary, are appointed principally for the conve- 
nience of travellers. It is an office eagerly sought 
after by the Arabs, as it places them under British 
protection, and exempts them, their families, and 
servants, from the conscription. My host occu- 
pied a very comfortable, well-furnished house, and 
appeared to be rather a superior sort of person. 

One cannot but be struck by the singular accu- 
racy with which the destruction of this city, the 
insular Tyre, was foretold in the prophecies re- 
garding it. After several unsuccessful attempts 
to take it by sea, Alexander the Great accom- 
plished its capture, by filling up the channel, which 
divided it from the continent, with immense blocks 
of stone, taken from the ruins of the ancient city, 
and covering the whole with sand*. So completely 

* n They shall lay thy stones, and thy dust, and thy timber, in the 
midst of the sea. — Zechariah, ix. 4. 



LET. IV.] 



TYRE. 



231 



has this artificial mound become consolidated, and 
extended by the sand washed up on either side, 
that no one unacquainted with its history would 
imagine that it had ever been disconnected from 
the land. It remained long in the same state in 
which it was left, after its destruction by the 
Memlooks about the end of the thirteenth century ; 
but, within the last ten or fifteen years, a good 
many new, substantial stone houses have been 
built on the north side of the peninsula. 

The harbour is a small circular basin, choked up 
with sand, and encumbered with ruins ; and affords 
shelter only to a few fishing-boats. 

Benjamin of Tudela, who visited Tyre in the 
twelfth century, describes it as in a tolerably flou- 
rishing condition. u One day's journey from Sydon 
is New Tyrus, furnished with a most commodious 
haven, which it containeth within itself, and re- 
ceiveth ships between two towers built on both 
sides ; so that a brazen chain being extended from 
one tower to the other by the publicans, serving 
for the gathering of customs, all entrance and 
going out of ships by night may be hindered, and 
no man can possibly convey anything taken out 
of the ships. Nor do I think any haven in the 
world to be found like unto this. The city itself, 
as I have said, is goodly, and in it there are 
about 400 J ews, some of whom are very skilful in 



232 



TYRE. 



[let. IV. 



disciplinary readings, and especially Ephraim the 
Egyptian judge, and Mair, and Carchasonse, and 
Abraham the head of the college. Some of the 
Jews living there have ships at the sea for gain. 
There are workmen in glass there, who make glass 
called Tyrian glass ; the most excellent, and of the 
greatest estimation in all countries. The best and 
most approved sugar is also found there." 

There are now neither harbour nor college ; pub- 
licans " gathering of customs," nor Jews " skilful 
in disciplinary readings;" workmen in glass, nor 
importers of sugars. It is c< a place for the spread- 
ing of nets in the midst of the sea." 

Of the ancient, or continental, Tyre, scarcely 
any vestige is to be seen. The remains of an 
aqueduct, supported on arches, is the only ruin 
that strikes the eye ; and the heaps of architectural 
remains, which at one time covered a vast extent 
of ground, are now buried beneath the sand, which 
has gradually accumulated over them. 6C This once 
famous Tyrus," as Sandys says, " is now no other 
than an heape of ruines ; yet they have a reverent 
aspect, and doe instruct the pensive beholder with 
their exemplary frailty." 

After coffee and a pipe with my kind host, I 
started from Tyre, on the morning of the 30th of 
March, and in about two hours came to the Nahr el 
Kasmai, which was so much swollen by the recent 



LET. IV.] 



SIDON. 



233 



rains that I had some difficulty in getting across. 
The Kasmia has its source near Baalbec, and 
formed the boundary between the territory of the 
Tyrians and the possessions of the Sidonians on 
the north. 

About an hour from the Kasmia is Has Sarfa, 
46 Sarepta," where the remains of a considerable 
town are to be seen, but no ruins of any import- 
ance. 

A little beyond this is a place called El Borek, 
where there is a fine fountain of beautiful clear 
water, shaded by trees, where I alighted, and had 
coffee brought from a khan in the neighbourhood. 
From this fountain an aqueduct conveys the water 
to Sidon. 

Ancient remains are numerous along the whole 
line of coast. The traveller is continually passing 
over fragments of tesselated pavement ; while 
prostrate columns, and remains of masonry, and 
occasionally a single pillar rising amidst the con- 
fused heap of ruins which crown some picturesque 
height at a little distance from his path, indicate 
the former wealth and populousness of the 
country. 

I reached Sidon about four o'clock. The dis- 
tance from Tsur is, I should think, about twenty- 
five miles ; but, from the absence of any regularly 
made road, the roughness of the rocky ground in 



234 



SIDON. 



[let. it, 



many places, and the swollen state of every little 
stream at this season, it is a journey of eight or 
nine hours. 

The ancient city of Sidon extended along the 
coast to the eastward of the modern town, which 
stands on an eminence overhanging the sea. Upon 
the elevated ground on the south side of the town 
are the ruins of a large castle, built by Louis the 
Ninth of France, who repaired the injuries which 
the city had suffered during the holy wars ; and 
on the north there is a fortress in the sea, erected 
for the defence of the port, and connected with the 
land by a long bridge. 

The harbour, however, is now incapable of re- 
ceiving vessels of any great draught of water. It 
was designedly filled up with sand and fragments 
of granite, from the ancient remains, by the Emir 
Fakeer ed Deen, in the sixteenth century, in order 
to prevent the Turkish galleys from finding shelter. 
Vessels now anchor at a short distance from the 
shore. 

The streets in the higher part of the town are 
many of them arched over, dark and gloomy, but 
those below are more cheerful ; the bazaars seemed 
to be pretty well stocked ; and there was a con- 
siderable appearance of bustle and activity. The 
soil around Tsaida is favourable to the growth of 
the mulberry, and the people are principally em- 



LET. IV.] 



DEPARTURE FROM SIDON. 



235 



ployed in the silk trade, which during the last 
century was extensively carried on by a French 
factory. The French were expelled by Djezzar 
Pacha on the breaking out of the French Revo- 
lution. 

Tsaida is now the residence of Sulyman Pacha, 
(Colonel Selves,) a French officer of high rank in 
the service of Mehemet Ali, and governor of this 
city. 

As I w r as very impatient to reach Beyrout, I 
determined to continue my journey ; and, after 
waiting two hours to rest and feed the horses, we 
started about seven o'clock in the evening. I knew 
that the rivers were all much swollen, but the sur- 
rugee assured me that he knew every ford, and 
that they were all passable. 

Across the bay we fared very smoothly, although 
the night was cloudy and dark ; but we soon got 
so bewildered among the rocks after leaving the 
beach, that, after scrambling and stumbling about 
in the dark for an hour, we were obliged to pull 
up at a khan, and wait till the moon rose. 

Even then we got on but slowly. The way was 
rocky and difficult, and the night bitterly cold ; 
and about midnight, my guide, who had readily 
undertaken this night journey on the promise of a 
little additional baksheesh^ began to grumble and 
complain of fatigue, and even to hint at the neces- 



236 



THE RIVER TAMYRAS. 



[let. IV. 



sity of looking out for a convenient spot to sleep 
on. On our arrival at the Nahr el Kahdi, the 
ancient Tamyras, which was certainly foaming 
along in rather an angry mood, he fairly pulled up, 
and declared that he would not move a step farther 
till daylight. He could not find the ford by moon- 
light, he said, and he did not want to be drowned. 

The moonlight was as bright as day, and there 
could be no difficulty in finding the ford, if there 
was one ; and, as I had no wish to get a fit of ague, 
the sure consequence of sleeping among the damp 
bushes by the river side, I endeavoured to urge on 
my unwilling guide. I threatened to mulct him of 
all baksheesh ; he didn't care, money was of no use 
to a man after he was drowned. I threatened him 
with a good drubbing, and applied the koorbadj 
across his shoulders ; he would rather be beaten, 
he said, than drowned ; and there he sat on the 
bank, with his feet crooked under him, the very 
picture of determined obduracy. 

Salem showed more courage here than at Cesa- 
rea, although here, I think, the danger was greater. 
He was as unwilling as I was to sleep on the damp 
ground, and determined to try the ford himself, 
which, as he was a very expert swimmer, I did not 
object to. He accordingly undressed, and walked 
very deliberately into the river, which was running 
with great force, and although the water reached 



LET. IV.] 



ARRIVAL AT BEYROUT. 



237 



nearly to his arms, he gained the opposite bank, 
and returned in safety. 

W e crossed safely, but it was, after all, rather 
a hazardous experiment ; for the horse's side pre- 
senting a greater surface to the stream, rendered 
the riding more unsafe than the wading through ; 
and my sensations were not very agreeable when I 
felt the cold water rushing over my knees. 

We had now been nearly fifteen hours on horse- 
back, and my two followers began to get a little 
fagged. On looking round, I saw them straggling 
along, about ten yards from each other, at a very 
slow pace, and both nodding in their saddles. 
Salem, when I roused him, awoke with such a start 
that he lost his balance, and fairly dropped off his 
horse ; and I was obliged to drive them before me, 
and waken them up every minute. In an hour 
further, however, I found myself dropping into an 
involuntary nap ; and as we passed a wretched 
little khan, before which some muleteers were seated 
by a fire, I pulled up ; and having warmed our- 
selves, and drunk some coffee, we again mounted, 
and reached Beyrout about nine o'clock on the 
morning of the 31st March. 

The last hour or two before reaching Beyrout 
were as weary and toilsome as can well be imagined 
at the end of a long journey — a wide plain of loose 
sand, into which the tired horses sunk over the 
fetlocks at every step. 



238 



BEYROUT. 



[let. v. 



LETTER V. 

Uneasiness from apprehensions of war — Early history of Beyrout 
— Description of the modern town — The Druses — Anzaris — 
Metawalis, &c. 

Beyrout > May 5, 1839. 

My dear , 

After the wandering life I had led for two 
months before my arrival, I felt even this place to 
be a sort of home, although wanting so many of 
the associations which make home what it is. You 
would like Beyrout, for a little while at least ; the 
situation is very picturesque, the climate delightful, 
and the surrounding scenery as beautiful as it would 
be novel to you. 

In the meantime business is almost entirely 
stopped here, in consequence of the rumour of war 
between the Sultan and the Pacha of Egypt. 
Several regiments have passed through Beyrout 
lately ; the soldiers quartered here, and regiments 
stationed at Damascus and Baalbec, have marched 
to Aleppo ; and Ibrahim is said to be concentrat- 
ing all his forces on the northern frontier, in 
expectation of an attack from that quarter. 



LET. V.] 



BEYROUT. 



239 



The Metawalis and the Bedaween tribes around 
Damascus take advantage of the removal of the 
troops, to attack and plunder the villages and 
smaller towns in their neighbourhood ; travelling 
is no longer safe ; and many of the Christian 
inhabitants of Damascus, apprehensive of a rising 
among the fanatic Mooslims, have come to Bey- 
rout for safety. About ten days ago a large body 
of Bedaweens rode into Damascus, and plundered 
the quarter called the Maiddn^ carrying off a num- 
ber of camels and other booty ; and a few days 
after the Metawalis made a similar raid on Tripoli, 
one day's journey from this, and plundered the 
merchants' stores. 

We are under no apprehension of being visited 
here by these predatory clans, as the Druses and 
Maronites of Mount Lebanon are between us and 
the disturbed districts ; and the guns upon the 
batteries, and a gun-brig in the roads, are suffi- 
cient protection against these irregular attacks. 

We hear that the Turkish army has crossed the 
frontier, and taken possession of Aintab ; and that 
Ibrahim has marched from Aleppo with his whole 
force ; and a battle is expected. Ibrahim has 
hitherto been a successful general — a great point 
in itself ; and his army is said to be better officered, 
and under better discipline, than the Sultan's. 
Mr. left this last week for Scanderoon, and 



240 



BEYHOUT. 



[let. V, 



will despatch a courier when anything important 
occurs. 

In the mean time I have more time than enough 
to see all that is worthy of notice in and around 
this place. There are no antiquities of any great 
importance, nor are such to be expected in a place 
which has so frequently suffered from the ravages 
of war, and from earthquakes. 

The name Berytus is said to be derived from 
Baal-Berith, a Phenician deity, to whom there 
was a temple here. The city was entirely de- 
stroyed,. 140 b.c, by Diodotus Tryphon ; but was 
rebuilt, nearly on the ancient site, after the con- 
quest of Syria, by the Romans ; and became a 
Roman colony under Augustus, who called it after 
his daughter, Colonia Felix Julia. 

Agrippa, the grandson of Herod the Great, 
adorned the city with magnificent baths and a 
theatre, some faint traces of which may still be 
seen on the north of the town ; and Alexan- 
der Severus founded the school for the study of 
law, which became so celebrated in the age of 
Justinian, that the emperor called Berytus, " the 
mother and nurse of the law." 

It was taken by Baldwin in 1111, and retaken 
by Saladin before the end of the same century ; 
and fell at different times into the hands of either 
party during the wars of the Cross. 



LET. V.] 



BEYROUT. 



241 



It now presents few traces of its ancient great- 
ness beyond i;he fragments of granite pillars used 
in the construction of the quay facing the harbour, 
and portions of tesselated pavement and shafts of 
columns found in the gardens, and along the sea- 
shore ; remains of little value in the eyes of an 
antiquary, but which may, as old Sandys has it, 
" instruct the pensive beholder with their exem- 
plary frailtie." 

The modern town is enclosed by a wall, and has 
five gates, which are closed after sunset ; and no 
one is allowed to appear in the streets after dark 
without a lantern. The streets are narrow and 
irregular, dark and gloomy where there are no 
shops, and nowhere very cheerful-looking, except 
on the marina facing the sea. There are several 
mosques, the largest of which was a Christian 
church, dedicated to St. John. 

Beyrout, including the suburbs, contains about 
15,000 inhabitants, of whom at least two-thirds are 
Christians ; and, as they are exempt from the con- 
scription, the population has not decreased as in 
those towns the population of which are nearly all 
Mooslims. 

Being the port of Damascus, and indeed the 
only port between Alexandria and the Guff of 
Scanderoon, the trade of Beyrout has increased 
very considerably within the last ten or twelve 

M 



242 



THE MARONITES 



[let. v. 



years ; and improvements are now in progress that 
are rarely seen in any of the other towns in this 
country. Old houses have been pulled down, and 
new and more commodious dwellings erected in 
their place ; streets have been widened by the 
removal of old buildings ; a considerable portion 
of the town has been paved ; and dwelling-houses 
and stores have been built on speculation, and are 
quickly finding occupiers. 

The harbour has two picturesque old towers at 
the entrance ; one of them on an isolated rock, and 
connected with the shore by a causeway on three 
unequal arches. But the harbour is a bad one, and 
the ships frequenting the port anchor in the bay, 
about a mile from the shore. 

The Christian inhabitants, with the exception of 
a few who belong to the Greek Church, are either 
Maronites, or of some other sect in connexion 
with the Church of Rome. The villages in the 
mountains are principally inhabited by the Ma- 
ronites and Druses. The former, although under 
the spiritual jurisdiction of the Pope, retain cer- 
tain peculiarities in their ecclesiastical laws and 
religious ceremonies which distinguish them from 
the Church of Rome. Their Patriarch is elected 
by the priests and people, according to an ancient 
custom, but is confirmed in his office by a bull 
from the Pope. The priests say mass together, 



LFT. V.] 



AND DRUSES. 



243 



standing round the altar; they use unleavened 
bread in the communion, and the laity partake in 
both kinds. 

The Druses inhabit great part of the range of 
Libanus, and are found all along the coast from 
Sidon to Djibail. Their origin is involved in great 
obscurity, and little appears to be known of their 
religious belief or practices, except that they occa- 
sionally assume, for a time, any religion that may 
suit their interest. They are neither Christian 
nor Mooslim ; but, when it suits their own views, 
they assume a fashion of Mahommedism, — fre- 
quent the mosques, and perform the ablutions and 
prayers ; and, at present, many of them affect to 
be Christians, and some have even attended the 
preaching of the Protestant missionaries. 

In their own religion they have neither festivals 
nor fasts, nor, indeed, any public service to which 
the whole body of their people are admitted. They 
have small chapels, or oratories, in secluded parts 
of the mountains ; but the ceremonies performed 
there are shrouded in mystery, and concealed from 
the uninitiated even of their own sect. According to 
some, they sacrifice before an idol, in the form of 
an ox ; but the more general belief is, that they 
worship their founder Hakim Be-Amrou, the third 
Khaleef of Egypt, whom they believe to have 
been an incarnation of the Deity. They are 

m 2 



244 



THE DRUSES. 



[let. v. 



divided into two classes, the Khakel and Djahel, 
the initiated and uninitiated. The former are the 
sacred order, and are distinguished by a white 
turban folded in a peculiar manner, and they only 
are acquainted with the mysteries of their religion, 
or are admitted to their secret meetings ; but any 
Djahel may enter this order, and it is conse- 
quently pretty numerous. They believe in the 
transmigration of souls, eat pork, and drink wine. 

The domestic habits of the Druses resemble 
those of the other mountaineers, and they are 
noted for their hospitality to strangers. Their 
women, as well as those of the Maronites, wear 
the singular ornament called tantour ; a conical 
silver tube, about eighteen inches long, projecting 
from the forehead like the horn of the unicorn. It 
is worn only by the married women, and is by no 
means a becoming part of their dress, which is 
otherwise easy and graceful. 

From the best information I could obtain, 
founded on the returns for the firde*, the Druse 
population is about 70,000, and the Maronites not 
less than 220,000. They are united under the 
jurisdiction of the Emir Besheer, who is a staunch 
and powerful adherent of Mehemet Ali. They 
were disarmed some years ago by the Pacha ; 

* The new tax imposed by Mehemet Ali— it is levied on all the 
males above the age of fifteen. 



LET. V.] 



ANZARIS, AND METAWALIS. 



245 



but, in thepresent juncture, arms have been dis- 
tributed among them, for the preservation of tran- 
quillity in the country, during the absence of the 
regular troops. 

Further to the north, in the district called the 
Kesrawan, are found the Anzaris, a race whose 
origin appears to be more enveloped in mystery 
than even that of the Druses. Burckhardt says, 
" they are divided into three sects, of which no- 
thing is known except the names, viz., Kelbyeh, 
Shemsyeh, and Mokladjyeh" These names, how- 
ever, afford some foundation for the belief which 
generally prevails in the country, that the Kelb- 
yeh # worship the dog, and the Shemsyeh *f* 
the sun. 

The Metawalis, whose principal station is at 
Baalbec, but who inhabit a considerable portion 
of the range of Anti-Libanus, are supposed to be 
descended from the ancient Syrians ; although, as 
a distinct sect, they were not known earlier than 
the beginning of the eighteenth century. They 
are of the Shi-ite sect, the dominant one in Persia, 
and are hated equally by the Christians and the 
Sonnites, or orthodox Mahommedans. They are 
a turbulent, lawless race, and, at the present 
moment, infest the roads between this place and 

* From the Arabic word Kelb, "a dog." 
f Shems, 66 the sun." 



246 PUBLIC FEELING AT BEYR0UT. [let. v. 

Damascus ; and are said to be collected in con- 
siderable force between Baalbec and Zebdani, 
under the Emir Shooeb, one of their chiefs. 

The disturbed state of the country towards 
Damascus has prevented me from visiting that 
city. We expect every day to hear of a battle 
having been fought, or of some peaceable adjust- 
ment of the differences between Mehemet Ali and 
the Porte, and are kept in a state of excitement 
and suspense which is not very agreeable. Various 
are the wishes, and hopes, and fears, which I hear 
expressed regarding the probable result of the 
present crisis ; but, on the whole, I think the 
inhabitants of Beyrout are favourable to Mehemet 
Ali. More than two-thirds of them are Chris- 
tians, and therefore do not suffer from the con- 
scription ; which the Mooslim population complain 
of, and justly, far more than all the other obnoxious 
measures of the government. Indeed, I have heard 
it repeatedly said, cc Let us have four or five years 
without the conscription — that is all we want." 



LET. VI] 



MARINE SCENERY. 



247 



LETTER VI. 

Environs of Beyrout — French entomologist — Nahr el Kelb — 
Nahr el Leban — El Melaha — Antique remains, &e. 

Beyrouth June 1839. 

The heat is considerably greater than last month, 
but not so oppressive as to prevent my taking a 
pretty long walk almost every day ; and I have 
once or twice been out quail-shooting. 

A favourite ramble of mine is along the shore, 
three or four miles to the west of the town, where 
the land rises abruptly, and terminates in a pre- 
cipice about two hundred feet in height. The sea 
washes the base of the cliff ; and, some fifty yards 
from the land, an immense rock rises above the 
waves, perforated by a natural cavern about thirty 
feet high, and affording shelter to thousands of 
blue pigeons. 

You are here out of sight of the town, and the 
solitude is perfect ; and you can imagine no music 
more grand and impressive than the rushing of the 
waters round the rocky island, and among the deep 
caverns under the cliff. Beautiful flowers spring 



248 



NAHR EL KELB, 



[ LET. VI. 



up on every side, and beautiful insects are sporting 
away their short lives in the sunshine. The only 
noxious animal I have met with is a Frenchman, 
whom I saw one day, " with spectacle on nose," 
peeping and poking about the rocks and bushes. 
By and by, he made a dart at something, and 
having caught it, seemed to examine it very 
minutely, and consign it, with great care, to a 
long pasteboard box, which was carried by a 
servant who followed him. He had been very 
successful to-day, he said, opening his box, and 
displaying a most sickening array of the beautiful 
creatures that I had taken such delight in watch- 
ing as they fluttered from flower to flower, or 
darted about among the sand and stones, now 
struggling in helpless agony, with pins through 
their backs. In another box he had a small 
cameleon, shut up with a large piece of camphor, 
to suffocate it, that it might be killed without 
injury to its appearance. The poor creature 
looked up so imploringly, with its little intelligent- 
looking eyes, that I felt quite grieved for it, and 
half inclined to intercede for its life, at the risk of 
being refused, and laughed at into the bargain. 

I rode, a day or two ago, to Nahr el Kelb, the 
ancient Lycus, to see some curious sculptures and 
inscriptions on the rocks, which belong to a very 
remote period. 



LET. VI. ] 



THE ANCIENT LYCUS. 



249 



I left Beyrout in the morning, and proceeding 
round the eastern side of the bay, crossed the Nahr 
el Leban — " river of milk" — by a Roman bridge of 
six arches. From thence the road continues 
among mulberry gardens to the eastern point of 
the plain of Beyrout, and then a pleasant ride 
along the sandy beach brings you to the foot of the 
promontory called Has Nahr el Kelb. Close to 
the sea are several spacious, shallow tanks, hewn 
in the rocks, which have been used for obtaining 
salt, by evaporating the sea-water. The place is 
called El Melaha, from the Arabic word melh, 
" salt." 

The promontory stretches into the sea, and rises 
to a considerable height. It is crossed by a road, 
about six or eight feet in width, cut in the rock, 
and covered with a causeway of large stones, in 
shallow steps ; which, in its present rugged and 
broken state, forms rather a precarious path for 
horses. 

About half-way across the promontory there is 
a square tablet, cut in the face of the rock, con- 
taining a Latin inscription, from which it appears 
that the road was made by the Emperor Anto- 
ninus ; and at an elevation considerably higher, 
are seen several sculptured figures and inscrip- 
tions, evidently of great antiquity, and of different 
periods ; some of them being Egyptian hiero- 

M 3 



250 



HAS NAHR EL KELB. 



[let. VI. 



glyphics, and the others containing inscriptions in 
the cuneiform, or arrow-headed character. The 
most remarkable of these tablets contains the full- 
length figure of a man, nearly the size of life, with 
a pointed beard, and habited in a tunic and high 
Phrygian cap, — on the whole not unlike the dress 
of the modern Persians. The figure is seen in 
profile : one hand is raised before the face, and 
appears to have held some object, which is now 
effaced ; and the other is placed on the breast. 
In the left corner of the tablet, above the figure, 
a globe and crescent, and other symbols, may be 
traced ; and the whole surface below the waist of 
the figure is covered with the arrow-headed cha- 
racters. Some of the hieroglyphics are cut on the 
rock, without any border; but, in one instance, they 
are enclosed in a sort of frame, upon which appear 
several cartouches, similar to those at Thebes. 

These sculptures are supposed to commemorate 
certain events in Egyptian, Assyrian, or Phrygian 
history. The Egyptian hieroglyphics are attri- 
buted to Sesostris, that is, Rameses the Second, 
who sailed from the bay of Djunia, at the mouth 
of the Lycus, with the fleet which accompanied 
him to Kittim, the modern Cyprus ; an event 
which these inscriptions are supposed to comme- 
morate # . The basso-rilievo which I have described 



* Landseer, Sabean Researches. 



LET. VI. J 



THE RIVER LYCUS. 



251 



is attributed to one of the then Assyrian monarehs, 
Pul, Pull Assur, and Sulman Assur, the immediate 
predecessors of Nebuchadnezzar, who invaded and 
exacted tribute from Phenicia. 

Near the northern extremity of the road stands 
a mass of rock hewn into the form of a pedestal, 
which the natives imagine supported the figure of 
a dog, from which the river took its name ; and 
they point to a large black rock, nearly covered 
by the sea, as this canine statue, which had fallen 
from its place on the cliff above. It is not impro- 
bable that the pedestal may have supported a statue 
of the Emperor Antoninus. 

Descending the northern side of the promontory, 
we came to the Nahr el Kelb, issuing from a rocky 
valley, and crossed at a short distance from the 
sea by a well-built stone bridge. We left our 
horses at a khan near the bridge, and walked some 
distance up the river. It is a fine, rapid, brawling 
stream, and reminded me of some of our Highland 
rivers. After rambling some way into the moun- 
tains, we came to a pretty large stream, rushing 
from a deep cavern in the mountain side, and 
joining the Nahr el Kelb. It was too deep to be 
crossed on foot, and the lengthening shadows 
warned us to return to our horses and gallop 
round the bay before the gates were shut. 



252" 



BATTLE OP NEZIB. 



[let. vii. 



LETTER VII. 

Battle of Nezib — Rejoicings after the victory — Illuminations, and 
female curiosity — Sir Moses Montefiore— The Jews resident in 
Palestine— Future prospects of the race — Good government of 
the Pacha. 

Beyrouth July 1, 1839. 

A tatar has just arrived with letters from 
Aleppo. After the occupation of Aintab by the 
Turkish troops under Solyman Pacha of Marash, 
the Egyptian army advanced from their encamp- 
ment by the river Sedjour, on a village occupied 
by the cavalry of the Sultan s advanced guard. 
After a short engagement the Turks retreated to 
Nezib, where the main body of the army were con- 
centrated, under the Seraskier, Hafiz Ali Pacha ; 
leaving their tents, flags, and 50,000 piastres in 
specie, in the hands of the Egyptians. On the 
21st, the Egyptians, advancing towards Nezib, 
encountered another body of Turkish troops, who, 
after some skirmishing, also retired on the main 
army. Since that until the 26th, no official intel- 
ligence had reached Aleppo. 

On the 26th June, Ismael Bey, the governor of 
Aleppo, received a despatch from Ibrahim Pacha, 



LKT. VII.] 



BATTLE OF NEZTB. 



253 



dated the , 24th, with intelligence of the total 
defeat of the Sultan's army. The battle, which 
commenced at five a.m., only lasted two hours, and 
only the cavalry and artillery on either side were 
engaged. Hafiz Ali fled with a few troops in the 
direction of Roumkali ; but the remainder and 
greater part of his forces either deserted or were 
taken prisoners. Several Turkish officers fell, 
and many of the Europeans attached to the army, 
in the capacity of instructors, were shot by their 
own men at the beginning of the attack. The 
whole camp, baggage, ammunition, stores, and 120 
pieces of artillery, fell into the hands of the Egyp- 
tian army ; and the deserters, who w T ere coming 
into Aleppo in great numbers, and taking service 
under Ibrahim Pacha, report that upwards of 
25,000 were either taken prisoners, or deserted at 
the beginning of the battle. 

The superior discipline of the Egyptian army, 
and the high opinion entertained of Ibrahim's 
talents as a general, had prepared most people here 
to expect that the result of a battle must be un- 
favourable to the Sultan ; but it does seem some- 
what strange that the Turks, who fought well 
at the battle of Koniah in 1833, should have 
behaved so shamefully on this occasion. No doubt 
appears to be entertained of the fact that they 
killed several of their own officers ; and that one 



254 



BATTLE OF NEZIB. 



[let. VII. 



or two entire regiments went over to the Egyp- 
tians, without firing a shot. These regiments have 
been sent forward to Aleppo, and are to be enrolled 
in the service of the Egyptian government. It 
does look as if the battle had been decided by 
something more than military skill. 

This victory has had the effect of restoring con- 
fidence here, and it is hoped that the relations 
between Mehemet Ali and the Porte will now be 
established on some permanent basis. It causes 
great rejoicing among the Christian population, 
who dreaded the return of the Turkish government, 
and the renewal of all the oppression they used 
formerly to suffer under the Osmanlies. 

The victory is to be celebrated by three days of 
jubilee and illumination ; and although a few old 
Mooslims maintain a moody silence, the people in 
general appear to be in great spirits. Every one 
hopes that peace will be established, and the con- 
scription discontinued for a year or two at least. 
" All that we want is peace and three or four years 
without the conscription," is what I hear repeated 
on all sides. 

I wish their hopes may be realised: except for 
the conscription, and some exactions arising from 
the necessity of maintaining so large an army, the 
government of Mehemet Ali is not so bad a one for 
this country as many people imagine. 



LET. VII.] 



PUBLIC REJOICINGS. 



255 



6th July. 

Our illuminations went off with great eclat and 
abundant good humour. It is a very different 
affair from an illumination in England. The 
minarets of the different mosques, lighted up with 
great numbers of small glass lamps, had a very 
pretty effect ; but the greater portion of the town 
remained in darkness, the illumination being almost 
entirely confined to the bazaars. They were bril- 
liantly lighted up ; the shops, adorned with flowers 
and gilt paper, and hung within with gaily-coloured 
stuffs ; and the dealers, in their best dresses, seated 
on their carpets, received visits from their acquaint- 
ance, and treated them with ices and sherbet. At 
several places there were bands of music, not very 
harmonious certainly, and parties of dancers ; no 
drunkenness, no brawling, no picking of pockets, — 
nothing but gaiety and good humour. We w T ere 
plentifully besprinkled with rose-water as we passed 
any shop where we were known, and drank sherbet 
and smoked a pipe in two or three of them. 

An order had been issued that no female was to 
be seen in the streets after sunset ; but groups of 
faces were obscurely visible behind the wooden lat- 
tice of the upper windows, and bright eyes might 
be seen glancing through the darkness, as they 
caught the flaring light of the lamps below. Among 
the crowd collected before a party of dancers, we 



256 



THE FRAU KATHARINE. 



[let. vii. 



saw Salem and Hamoud, two of our servants, 
accompanied by a comely-looking youth in the 
Nizam dress. There was something rather odd in 
his appearance and gait. His fair complexion? 
blue eyes, and fat beardless face— and his round, 
stumpy little legs, were as un-Arab-like as possible ; 
and when he caught us looking at him, his face 
became as red as his turboosh ; and he tried to 
hide himself behind his companions. They, too, 
appeared a little embarrassed at meeting us ; and 
on a closer inspection their fat little friend turned 
out to be no less a personage than Frau Katharine, 
our German housekeeper, who had adopted this 
method of evading the Governor's edict ! 

Three days of processions during the day and 
illuminations at night, is rather too much, and 
every one appeared heartily to rejoice when it was 
over. As the roads will now in all probability be 
free from the bands of marauders who have lately 
infested them, I shall set off immediately for 
Damascus. A merchant of that city, who has 
been here for some weeks, has given me a very 
pressing invitation to take up my quarters at his 
house ; and as he will not leave Beyrout for some 
days, he has written to his household to receive 
me. 

The deputation sent by the General Assembly 
of the Church of Scotland, to inquire into the con- 



let VII.] THE JEWS. 257 

dition of the Jews in Palestine, are now in Bey- 
rout. Sir Moses Montefiore has also passed 
through on his way to Jerusalem ; but the object 
of his visit is not exactly known. His arrival has 
caused a good deal of excitement among the Jews 5 
he has distributed considerable sums of money in 
the different towns, and they look on him as the 
Nehemiah who is to rebuild the temple, and bring 
them back to the land of their fathers. It is said 
that he is about to apply to the Pacha for permis- 
sion to establish a Hebrew colony in Palestine. 

From the information obtained by the Scottish 
deputation, it appears that the number of Jews 
now in Palestine has been greatly exaggerated, 
and that the whole Jewish population does not 
exceed 10,000. Saphet, which before the earth- 
quake of 1837 contained 7000 Jews, does not now 
contain a third of that number. 

There is every reason to suspect, however, that 
their numbers will rapidly increase by immigration 
from Europe. The Jews have hitherto enjoyed 
unusual tranquillity under the government of Me- 
hemet Ali ; the feeling which has for ages prompted 
them to come and lay their bones in the Holy Land 
is as powerful as ever ; and a still more powerful 
impulse appears now to be urging them towards 
Jerusalem from all parts of the world. A very 
general expectation seems to prevail among them 



258 



THE JEWS 



[let. VI I 



that the period of their dispersion is drawing to a 
close ; and thousands, it is said, have solemnly 
declared their intention of returning to the land 
of their fathers, there to await the appearance of 
the Messiah, the son of David. 

Multitudes, no doubt, are resting their hopes on 
the delusion which made the true Messiah cc to the 
Jews a stumbling-block," and looking for the 
appearance of a temporal ruler and deliverer ; but 
it is evident that the unbelief of many has been 
shaken, and that amidst the general expectation 
that their deliverance is not far distant, there is 
much uncertainty and many misgivings regarding 
the coming of the Messiah. 

Meanwhile ancient prejudices are giving way : 
in many places the Jews are less averse than 
formerlv to converse with Christian missionaries 
on matters of faith ; and the deputation found 
them everywhere, I believe, easy of access, and 
willing to listen and inquire on the great subjects 
in dispute between them. In Jerusalem, the con- 
verts, or those who are in daily communication 
with the missionaries, are certainly not exposed to 
the bitter persecution from their brethren to which 
any approach towards Christianity would, a few 
years ago, have subjected them. 

The cruel persecutions which 66 the dispersed of 
Israel" have experienced at the hands of Chris- 



LET. VII.] 



IN PALESTINE. 



259 



tians from the time of Constantine till little more 
than a century ago, and the virulent prejudices 
entertained against them, even at a later period, 
in our own country, must have gone far to confirm 
and strengthen their opposition to the religion of 
their oppressors. But now that, in England at 
least, these prejudices are nearly extinct ; now that 
the sympathies of the church are awakening to- 
wards the despised children of Israel, and they see 
that we are sincerely seeking their temporal and 
eternal peace ; we may hope that kindlier feelings 
will arise in their hearts also, and that greater 
freedom of intercourse and reciprocal inquiry will 
be established between Jew and Gentile. 

There are three missionaries now in Jerusalem, 
two of whom are Jewish proselytes. Both these 
gentlemen are now, and have been for more than 
a month, in Beyrout, and I meet them very fre- 
quently. They appear to think, and I dare say it 
is true, that the Jews listen to them with far less 
prejudice, and argue with them more fairly and 
ingenuously, than they do in conversing with the 
Gentile missionaries. Indeed there can be little 
doubt that the experience of his own conversion, 
his more intimate knowledge of all the prejudices 
of the Jewish mind, and all the errors and perver- 
sions of the Rabbinical writings, must give a Jew 
great advantages in dealing with his unconverted 
brethren, 



260 



THE JEWS 



[let. VII. 



There is a kind of national pride, too, if I may 
call it so, which is, I suspect, a great obstacle in 
the way of many ; a jealousy, and fear that, in 
attaching themselves to a Gentile teacher, they are 
abandoning their peculiar character as Jews, which 
they do not feel in listening to one of their own 
converted brethren. I have found that Hebrew 
proselytes themselves are not altogether free from 
this feeling ; and one of their number lost a good 
deal of his influence, for a time, among the Jews 
of J erusalem, by his open want of respect for some 
of their institutions, which ought to him to have 
been matters of indifference. In his zeal to show 
himself a Christian, they said, he forgot that he 
was a Jew. 

" I am a Jew,' 1 said a Hebrew proselyte to me, 
u and never can be anything but a Jew. We never 
have, and never can lose our national character, by 
mingling with all the nations among whom we 
have been scattered ; and we ought never to wish 
to lose it. We shall always be a distinct people. 
We may become Christians, but we cannot become 
Gentiles. The religion of the Gospel of Jesus 
Christ is the religion of the J ews ; Christ came, 
according to the flesh, of the Jews; the Gospel 
came first to the Jews, and by Jews it was first 
preached to the Gentiles. We shall one day," he 
added, " be restored to this land in our national 



LET. VII.] 



IN PALESTINE. 



261 



capacity, arid I greatly question whether the 
further conversion of the world will not proceed 
more through the instrumentality of the J ews than 
of the Gentile churches." 

The labours of our missionaries in this country 
will, I have no doubt, be more effectual by cordially 
co-operating with their Hebrew fellow-labourers, 
than if they had the work to begin themselves. 
The conversion of the Jews in Palestine may 
arouse attention and excite inquiry among their 
brethren in Europe ; for whatever is done in Jeru- 
salem is very speedily known to the J ews in other 
countries ; but here they are, for the most part, 
poor and illiterate, and, humanly speaking, un- 
qualified for the office of teachers. Great part of 
their time, indeed, is spent in reading ; not in 
studying the Scriptures, but in reading the Rab- 
binical commentaries. They are strictly Rabbinical 
Jews : and Rabbinism, as has been well said, is the 
popery of Judaism. 

It seems desirable, therefore, that the Church 
should direct her chief efforts to those quarters of 
Europe where more highly educated and learned 
Jews may, by the blessing of God, be prepared 
to go forth as messengers of peace among their 
scattered brethren. 

The exact period at which the Jews are to be 
restored to the land of their fathers is among the 



262 



GOVERNMENT OF 



[let. vir. 



" secret things" which " belong unto the Lord our 
God," and it becomes us not to attempt to be wise 
above that which is written ; but we cannot doubt 
that recent events in this country are silently 
working out the designs of Providence, both for 
the return of the Jews, and the overthrow of the 
Mahommedan religion. Under Mehemet Ali, the 
country has been more open to European tra- 
vellers; both Jews and Christians have enjoyed 
greater tranquillity than formerly ; and while his 
energetic government has checked the fanaticism 
of the more rigid Mooslims, his latitudinarian prin- 
ciples and example have not been without their 
influence in relaxing the bigotry and softening 
the prejudices of the great mass of the people. 
Infidels are not permitted to fight under the 
banner of the crescent ; and while the Mooslims 
have been mutually destroying each other in the 
wars between the Pacha of Egypt and the Sultan, 
the Christian population, free from the scourge of 
the conscription, has been gradually increasing. 
The Christians of Mount Lebanon are said to 
amount to no less than 220,000 ; a formidable 
number in a country so thinly peopled as Syria is 
at present. 

I must delay replying to your inquiries respecting 
the government of Mehemet Ali, till I have had 
more leisure to arrange and compare all the infor- 



LET. VII.] 



THE PACHA. 



263 



rnation I have received on the subject. Meanwhile 
be assured, the government of Mehemet Ali in 
Syria, with all its faults, — and they are many, — is 
by no means so bad as is supposed in England. A 
great and beneficial change has been produced on 
the country in many respects. I am inclined to 
think that the government is more favourable to 
the interests of British merchants than that of 
the Sultan : and that which is our interest is, in 
a great degree, the interest of the country. 



264 



ASCENT OF 



[let. viit. 



LETTER VIII. 

Journey to Damascus, first day : Khan Murad — Plain of the 
Bekaa — The Anti-Libanus — Village of Dumas — Approach to 
Damascus — Public and private buildings, baths, fountains, 
gardens, mosques, &c. of that city. 

Beyrouth August 1839. 

T and I have just returned from our visit 

to Damascus, where we were most kindly and 
hospitably entertained by our friend Djorious 
Maksoud. 

We left Beyrout early on the morning of the 
10th June, and crossing the plain, began the ascent 
of Mount Libanus before the sun had attained any 
great height. The road, if that can be called one 
which is merely the track made by the passing and 
repassing of mules and horses, is as bad as you can 
well imagine. It is little better than a scramble 
over rocks for a great part of the way ; and in 
some places the descents are so steep, and rugged, 
and slippery, that it is quite marvellous how the 
mules contrive to preserve their footing. 

The scenery amply repays one for the labour of 
the journey. The lower heights are well covered 



LET. Till.] 



MOUNT LIB ANUS, 



265 



with mulberry gardens, and we passed them more 
thinly scattered and mingled with olive-grounds as 
we ascended. Every available nook capable of 
retaining the soil during the winter rains, appears 
to be carefully cultivated. Indeed , cultivation is 
never wholly out of sight, except in crossing the 
highest part of the range, where the scenery is 
wild, barren, and rocky. Even where the path 
winds along the higher ridges, you frequently look 
down into beautiful green valleys, with their pic- 
turesque convents, and cheerful-looking villages, 
embosomed among the mulberry gardens and 
vineyards. 

As we rode along one of these narrow paths, 
High up the mountain side, the white mist w T as still 
hanging over the valley below ; but while we lis- 
tened to the tolling of the convent- bell, and the 
faint sound of voices from beneath, the mist gra- 
dually dispersed, and disclosed the little village of 
white stone cottages, surrounded by vineyards and 
olive-grounds, and overlooked by a venerable con- 
vent. The effect of the regular measured tolling 
of the bell, the slowly-retiring mists, and gradual 
appearing of the scene in the valley, was very 
impressive. 

In every part of the mountains, except the 
highest ridges, you find a profusion of flowers : 
the blue convolvulus and crimson anemone, the 

N 



266 



CCELO- SYRIA. 



[let. VII 



caper, and the myrtle and rose bushes, covered 
with blossoms : 

— through the grass 

The quick-eyed lizard rustles, and the bills 

Of summer birds sing welcome as ye pass ; 

Flowers fresh in hue, and many in their class, 

Implore the pausing step, and with their dyes, 

Dance in the soft breeze in a fairy mass ; 

The sweetness of the violet's deep blue eyes, 

Kiss'd by the breath of Heaven, seems coloured by its skies. 

About four o'clock we reached Khan Murad, 
the usual termination of the first day's journey ; 
and in an hour later came to a poor village called 
Miksy, at the foot of the mountains, on the verge 
of the Bekaa. Finding the house of the Sheich 
el Belad very uninviting within, we spread our 
carpets on the roof, and after a very comfortable 
nap under the open sky, were again in the saddle 
before the peaks of Anti-Libanus had caught the 
first rays of the rising sun. 

The extensive plain of the Bekaa, anciently 
called Coelo-Syria, imperfectly cultivated as it is 
at present, bears ample testimony to the natural 
fertility of the soil, and the prosperity which this 
country might attain under a settled and regular 
government. Notwithstanding the wretched sys- 
tem of husbandry, it produces excellent crops ; the 
pasture-lands support numerous flocks of sheep, and 
the thistles, which cover extensive tracts, seem to 
grow up with uncommon luxuriance. 



LET. VIII.] 



SYRIAN HUSBANDRY. 



267 



The harvest, which has been unusually abundant 
this year, is now nearly over. The fields w^ere 
already reaped ; and as we crossed the plain, we 
saw at several places the process of treading out 
the corn by oxen and horses, so frequently alluded 
to in Scripture. The sheaves are spread over a 
wide circular space of hard earth ; and the grain 
is expressed from the ear, sometimes by the con- 
tinued treading of cattle, but more frequently by 
driving over the threshing- floor a low car, on 
wooden . rollers, drawn by ahorse. This appears 
to accomplish the w T ork more rapidly. At one of 
these threshing-floors w r e saw a fellow standing 
erect on the little car, and driving his horse round 
the circle in a style that would have done credit 
to a disciple of Ducrow. 

On the eastern side of the plain we passed the 
ruins of a castle, probably of the time of the Cru- 
sades, which crowns a small hill, and appears to 
have commanded the entrance of the pass by which 
we entered the range of Anti-Libanus. 

After entering this defile, we came upon two 
tents occupied by some half-dozen Druses, where we 
alighted to breakfast. We learned from them that 
the Emir Besheer had established a line of these 
posts at the distance of three or four hours from 
this point to Damascus, as the Metawalis w T ere 
still out in considerable force. They were very 

n2 



286 



VILLAGE OF DUMAS. 



[let. VIII. 



civil sort of fellows, and offered to ride with us to 
the next post, which, however, we declined. 

There is not the same cultivation in these moun- 
tains as in the range of Libanus ; no villages nor 
vineyards; but wild rocky glens, or banks, covered 
with a species of dwarf oak. When we entered 
Wady el Kharu, the heat was so oppressive that 
we would fain have rested for a few hours under 
any shelter, but the sun was now near the meri- 
dian, and we looked round anxiously but in vain 
for the shadow of some projecting rock. Trees 
there were none, and on neither side of the valley 
could we find a corner capable of sheltering us from 
the scorching rays of the sun. 

Considerable danger arises in travelling during 
the heat of the day from not having the body, and 
especially the head, sufficiently covered. The 
mules cannot travel at a rapid pace ; the body is 
not kept sufficiently in motion to excite perspira- 
tion; and the skin becomes dry and burning hot; 
the pulse full and quick ; and fever is very apt to 
supervene. The body ought to be covered with 
as much additional clothing as in the coldest 
weather, and the head enveloped in shawls, in order 
to keep up a constant moisture on the skin. 

About four o'clock we reached the little village 
of Dumas, where we were invited to enter their 
Rouses by two or three of the villagers, who were 



LET. VIII.] 



PLAIN OF DAMASCUS. 



269 



seated at their doors. The house in which we 
took up our quarters was more clean and com- 
fortable than any Arab cottage I have been in ; 
and after enjoying a short nap, and such dinner as 
we had brought with us, we walked round the fields 
in the vicinity of the village. 

Harvest work was going on busily here too. 
The corn already threshed was collected in large 
heaps on the ground, and the labourers were tossing 
it into the air with wooden shovels, to clear it from 
the chaff, which is carried away by the wind, while 
the grain falls to the ground by its own weight. 
" The ungodly are like the chaff which the wind 
driveth away." 

The road from hence across the elevated barren 
plain, called Szakhret el Shem, is dreary and de- 
pressing to the spirits, but prepares the mind to 
be more strikingly impressed by the magnificent 
view of Damascus, El Shem Slier eef— u the noble 
and beautiful." The view from the crest of the 
hills, which overhang the plain of Damascus on the 
west, is most enchanting. • 

The low chain of hills which bound the plain on 
the east melt into the distant horizon, and are 
almost lost to sight as they mingle with the hazy 
atmosphere; and the great plain itself stretches 
away 

Like the round ocean, girdled with the sky. 



270 



DAMASCUS. 



[let. no 



About two miles from the western hills stands 
the city of Damascus, surrounded on all sides by 
gardens, forming a circuit of nearly thirty miles : 
a little sea of richly variegated foliage, from which 
the white domes, and slender minarets, and stately 
cypress-trees, rise gracefully into the clear air ; at 
the foot of the hills lies the beautiful village of 
Salahieh, from which gardens, and orchards, and 
villas of rare beauty, extend the whole way to the 
gates of the city. 

The Barada — " the golden river," after leaving 
the mountains, divides into three branches ; the 
middle and largest flows directly to the city, and 
supplies the public baths and the numerous foun- 
tains with which it is refreshed and adorned ; the 
two lateral branches, after being divided into 
numerous smaller channels for the irrigation of 
the surrounding gardens, unite on the south-east 
of the city, and continue their course in a single 
stream towards the eastern mountains, near which 
they are lost in a marsh called Birket el Merdi. 

Having descended from the hills, and passed 
the village of Mezze, at the entrance to the gar- 
dens, we proceeded along a narrow lane, between 
low walls of unburnt brick, under the shade of 
the fruit-trees : oranges, peaches, pomegranates, 
apricots, hanging temptingly over our heads ; and 
at nine o'clock reached the gate. W e rode directly 



LET. VIII.] 



DAMASCUS. 



271 



to the house of our friend, where we were met at 
the entrance by his nephew and two servants, who 
bade us welcome, kissed our hands, inquired after 
our health, and conducted us into the house. 

Passing across an open court, with a fountain in 
the middle, we were received in a handsomely fur- 
nished apartment by a venerable-looking grey- 
bearded gentleman, a relation of our host, who 
gave us a very ceremonious but kind welcome. 

u Sel a mat ya Khowaga : I congratulate you 
on your safety — how is your health ? — will you 
drink shurbat? — will you breakfast?" 

I was half ashamed to seat myself on the beauti- 
ul deewans in my soiled and dusty clothes, and 
proposed that, before breakfasting, we should go 
to the bath. We were accompanied to the 
Jchamrnan by Salem with our changes of raiment, 
and two servants from the house, who carried 
perfumed soap, leefs* , and fine napkins, and a 
couple of sheeshehs -f* for us to smoke after 
bathing. 

The whole process of ablutions and manipula- 
tions, although very agreeable and refreshing to a 
weary traveller, would be rather tedious and un- 

* A whisk, made of fine fibres of the palm-tree. They are 
brought from the Hecljaz. 

f The Persian water-pipe, which is very generally used in 
Damascus. 



272 



DAMASCUS. 



[let* VIII. 



interesting in the description. The last process 
is as follows : — A cake of fine soap is placed, with 
a little boiling water, in a copper basin, which is 
made to float in the tank beside which the bather 
reclines, and is worked up into a froth with the 
leef. With this the bather is plentifully lathered 
all over, and then deluged with hot water, dashed 
over him from the tank. But the most curious 
operation is that called tuck-tuck-ah. The operator, 
beginning with the fingers and concluding with the 
toes, makes every joint in your body crack once or 
twice ; he twists your body, first one way then 
another, till he has cracked every joint of your 
vertebrae ; and then, seizing your head in both 
his hands, he wrenches it round from one side to 
the other, till he has made your neck crack two 
or three times, in rather an alarming manner. 

When the whole is concluded, the bather has a 
long napkin fastened round his loins, like a petti- 
coat ; another is thrown over his shoulders, and a 
third wound round his head, and he is then con- 
ducted back to the begtow-wal, the apartment in 
which he had undressed. 

This is a large, lofty hall, lighted from windows 
near the Toof, with a fountain in the middle and 
deewans round the sides. On one of the deewans 
the bather is placed, in a reclining posture, and an 
attendant brings him a small hand-mirror and a 



LET. VIII.] 



DAMASCUS, 



273 



comb, that he may trim and curl up his musta- 
chios — if he have any. A small cup of coffee is 
then presented ; his pipe, or shees/ieh, is brought to 
him, and he reclines, smoking, for half an hour or 
so, while one of the attendants continues gently 
rubbing the soles of his feet, and another fans him 
with a large napkin. 

The khammans of Damascus are much more 
elegant than any I saw in Cairo, and the process 
of bathing more elaborate. I wish you could have 
seen us reclining in our long robes and white 
turbans, with all this attendance and paraphernalia 
of coffee and sheeshehs ; you would at least have 
admired the gravity with which we performed our 

part. T "s countenance, with his black beard 

of three days' growth, the fierce curl which he 
gives to his moustache, and his good-humoured 
expression, exchanged for a look of resolute serious- 
ness, were nearly too much for me, and I could 
scarcely refrain from startling the grave Mooslims 
around us by a hearty guffaw. 

While we were enjoying this dignified indolence, 
a ckawass entered with a note from Mr. Werry, 
the English consul, inviting us to dine with him. 
We, of course, accepted it, thinking that, as our 
host had not returned from Beyrout, there could 
be no impropriety in dining out, although on the 
first day of our visit. But I am afraid our engage- 

n 3 



274 



DAMASCUS. 



[let. viii. 



ment caused some disturbance in the arrangements 
- of our friend's household ; the news was received 
with many exclamations of surprise, and there was 
a great deal of whispered consultation, and running 
backwards and forwards, as if some important pre- 
parations had been interrupted. 

Now that we are returned from the bath, let me 
describe the house in which we are living. The 
street is narrow, and you enter by a low, mean- 
looking door, into a paved court, round which are 
the doors of different apartments. On one side of 
this court is an open leeivan (that is, a room, of 
which the whole front is open), furnished with 
carpets, and deewans and cushions. Two large 
lemon-trees grow at opposite corners of the court, 
and round the fountain in the middle are placed 
pots with flowers and evergreens. In one corner 
stands a tall, slender pole, like a signal-staff, for 
the purpose of hoisting up an earthen jar full of 
water, which is cooled by the evaporation that 
takes place through the porous sides of the vessel. 

About one-third of the room in which we sit 
and receive visitors is paved with black and white 
marble, and has a small fountain in the middle. 
Two arched niches contain crystal and china cups 
for sherbet, fingans and zurfs for coffee, and bottles 
for sprinkling rose-water ; and, in another, there 
is a rack for pipes and sheeshehs. 



LET. VIII.] 



DAMASCUS. 



275 



The servants either stand in this lower com- 
partment, which is called doorckaah, or are within 
hearing in the court ; and the mode of calling them 
is by clapping the hands. 

The floor of the leeway the upper part of the 
room, is about a foot higher than the pavement of 
the doorckaah, and is covered with a fine mat, and 
furnished with deewans and cushions ; these are 
covered with scarlet cloth trimmed with gold lace, 
over which there is a loose cover of thin, sprigged 
muslin. 

The walls are painted in separate pannels, each 
containing a different pattern, formed by a curious 
and intricate combination of colours and lines. 
The roof is carved, and painted and gilded in the 
old Saracenic style, and sentences from the Koraan 
are inscribed round the cornice. 

No one steps on the leewan without taking off 
his shoes ; but I should mention that it is the 
custom to wear a pair of thin yellow morocco 
slippers, which are not taken off, and over them a 
pair of red shoes. 

In another apartment, on the opposite side of 
the court, we breakfasted and dined. Our friend 
had adopted the fashion, quite new here, of having 
a table and chairs in his dining-room ; but the 
meals were served up in the old Eastern fashion — 
one dish at a time — and dinner was a most weari- 



276 



DAMASCUS. 



[let. viii. 



(some affair. Many of their dishes, however, 
especially pastry and sweetmeats, are excellent ; 
and at this season of the year there is abundance 
of delicious fruit ; in which, by the by, it is not 
very safe to indulge too freely. 

Two very fine lads, the nephews of our host, 
generally waited on us at our meals. They did 
not indeed remove the dishes, nor perform the 
ordinary duties of a domestic servant, but they 
continued to stand while we ate, and occasionally 
poured out a cup of wine, or directed the servants, 
joining at the same time in our conversation. 
There is no servile feeling in this, which is no more 
than a mark of respect paid by all young men to 
their elders. Neither of these lads would have 
dreamed of sitting down to eat with their uncle, 
and scarcely ever received anything from his hand 
without kissing it ; but there was no coldness or 
restraint in their intercourse, which was very 
evidently characterised by great kindness and 
affection, though with a certain degree of respectful 
deference on the part of the young men which, 
unhappily perhaps, is seldom seen in more civilised 
countries. 

I forgot' to mention that our host is a Christian. 
He therefore indulges, but very moderately, in the 
use of wine. It is drunk during dinner, but never 
presented to visitors at any other time, the usual 



LET. VIII.] 



DAMASCUS. 



277 



beverages being sherbet, or, as the Arabs pronounce 
it, sliurbat) and coffee. The sherbet is made in 
several ways, from the juice of lemons, grapes, or 
pomegranates, with iced water, and generally pre- 
sented with a lump of ice floating in the cup. On 
the morning of our arrival, after returning from the 
bath, two servants entered the apartment, one of 
them bearing a tray covered with a fine muslin 
napkin embroidered with silken and golden flowers, 
which the other removed, and handed to each of 
us a crystal cup of this delightful beverage, He 
then presented the napkin, with which you make a 
fashion of wiping your lips ; and, on receiving the 
empty cup, kissed our hands. 

But this ceremonious formality, although in 
some respects pleasing enough, becomes wearisome 
and a positive nuisance, when repeated day after 
day. When we returned from our business, or 
our rambles through the city, the sherbet was pre- 
sented in the manner I have described ; if I wiped 
my face with my handkerchief, a black fellow was 
ordered to fan me with a bunch of ostrich feathers ; 
if we rose up, we were asked, " Where would you 
goT or, Shoo hetreed ya seyidee? ;c What do you 
wish for, O my master V We could not dress 
for dinner, nor undress at night, without attend- 
ance. 

On the second day after our arrival our host 



278 



DAMASCUS. 



[let. VIII. 



made his appearance ; and as he remained at home 
one whole day to receive visits of congratulation on 
his safe return, we thought it but polite to sit with 
him the greater part of the forenoon. A constant 
succession of visitors flowed in from nine o'clock 
till late in the evening ; and the kissing of hands 
and rubbing of beards together must have been 
very fatiguing to our fat friend. 

There is something exceedingly graceful and 
pleasing in the Arab salutation. If the visitor 
happened to be somewhat inferior in station, he 
took our friend's hand, kissed it, and touched it 
with his forehead ; if a common acquaintance they 
shook hands, each kissing his own hand, and rais- 
ing it to his head ; if near relations, they embraced 
and kissed each other on each side of the face. 
Then they kept ringing the changes on all the 
various forms of congratulation practised on such 
occasions. 

" I congratulate you on your safety. I hope you 
are well." 

" Praise be God ! how is your health, Khowaga 
Elias ?" 

" El ham doo lillah ! We were made desolate 
by thy absence, O Howaga Djorious !" 

"May God not make us desolate by thy absence, 
O Khowaga Elias I" 

Then came the inquiry, " Who are the two 



LET. VIII.] 



DAMASCUS. 



279 



strangers ?" and, our names having been mispro- 
nounced in due form, the same touching of foreheads 
and congratulations, and inquiries after our health, 
were repeated. They make use of the same form 
of expression as the Mooslims do, saying El-ham- 
doo- Allah, " praise be to Allah, v Allah ye sel limak, 
" Allah preserve thee." 

Damascus, although it scarcely meets the expec- 
tation excited by its romantic appearance from a 
distance, is a very splendid city. It contains a great 
many fine mosques, and, it is said, not less than 
five hundred private dwellings that might rank as 
palaces. The streets are narrow and intricate, but 
far less so than those of Cairo. Those which are 
occupied only by dwelling-houses have a gloomy 
and dismal appearance, for few houses have any 
windows to the street, and where there are any, 
they are covered with a close wooden lattice. The 
whole city appears to be wrapped in a strange 
mysterious silence, until you approach the bazaars 
and other places of public resort. 

The entrance to some even of the finest houses, 
is by a low mean-looking door, in a great blank 
wall, little according with the luxury and splendour 
within. This unpromising entrance admits you to 
a spacious quadrangle paved with marble ; in the 
middle of which a fountain throws up a continual 
shower, cooling the atmosphere and refreshing the 



280 



DAMASCUS. 



[let. VIII. 



evergreens and flowering shrubs which are placed 
around it. An arcade, supported by slender 
columns, runs round the quadrangle. You ascend 
to it by one or two steps ; it is furnished with rich 
carpets and deewans, and cushions of damask or 
velvet embroidered with gold ; and from it the 
doors open into the different apartments. These 
too are luxuriously furnished ; the roofs and walls 
elaborately painted and gilded, and the cornices 
ornamented with Arabic inscriptions. But here 
the same mysterious solitude prevails; the only 
sounds to be heard are the continual splashing of 
the fountain, and your own footsteps echoing over 
the marble pavement ; and you might almost fancy 
yourself in one of the enchanted palaces of the 
Arabian Nights. 

These houses are far from the more busy part of 
the city ; but as you approach the quarters " where 
merchants most do congregate," the scene gradu- 
ally changes ; you meet more frequent passengers ; 
strings of mules and loaded camels begin to obstruct 
the way ; u the busy hum of men"' draws nearer 
and nearer ; and, turning from one of the narrow 
streets, you find yourself in the midst of a spacious 
bazaar. The eye is bewildered amid the gay colours 
of the various articles exposed for sale, and the 
groups that are seen passing and repassing in every 
variety of Oriental costume. There is a bazaar 



LET. VIII.] 



DAMASCUS. 



281 



solely for the sale of boots, shoes, and slippers ; 
another for ready-made articles of dress ; in 
another you are deafened by the clattering of the 
whole fraternity of coppersmiths ; saddlery and 
military trappings are sold in another ; and the 
Armenian gold and silversmiths carry on their trade 
in what has once been a Christian church. 

The wholesale merchants have their warehouses 
in the great khans, or caravanserais. The finest is 
that built by Assad Pacha. It enters from one of 
the bazaars near the great mosque, and is a fine 
specimen of Saracenic architecture. The arched 
and vaulted gateway is very lofty, and richly 
sculptured, and leads into a spacious court, beauti- 
fully paved with broad smooth flags. In the centre 
is a fountain and tank, at which the mules and 
camels drink ; the entrances to the warehouses are 
under an arcade which surrounds the court ; and 
an open gallery above leads to the counting-houses 
of the different merchants. The masonry is in 
alternate courses of black and white stones, in the 
manner peculiar to the Saracenic style ; and the 
whole is covered with lofty domes, and supported 
by many pillars. 

The manufacture of the celebrated Damascus 
swords no longer exists; but a true Damascus 
blade is sometimes offered for sale, and commands 
a high price. The splendid silk damask inter- 



282 



DAMASCUS. 



[let. viij. 



woven with gold, which is seen in some of the 
richest houses, is not easily found in the bazaars ; 
and, I rather think, it is not now made. The 
present manufactures are red leather shoes and 
slippers, a variety of silver work, silk and cotton 
stuff woven in variously coloured patterns, and 
some very neat cabinet-work of line wood inlaid 
with ivory and mother-of-pearl. These are made 
to a considerable extent for the supply of other 
markets ; and there are a variety of other manu- 
factures of minor importance. British manufac- 
tures have now taken the place of many of the 
inferior native fabrics ; and many articles which 
used to be brought from India to the Persian Gulf, 
and reached Damascus by the caravans from Bag- 
dad, are now imported direct from London and 
Liverpool to Beyrout. The principal articles of 
import are cotton goods, cotton twist, iron hard- 
ware, West India produce, indigo and cochineal. 
The bazaar of the mercers displays an extensive 
assortment of Manchester and Glasgow calicoes, 
muslins, and printed goods, and a few articles of 
Sw T iss manufacture. 

The mosques are very numerous and handsome, 
but they are not so easy of access as those of Cairo ; 
indeed, it is not quite safe to linger too curiously 
opposite the entrance. Our merely stopping to 
look into the outer court of the great mosque 



LET. via.] 



DAMASCUS. 



283 



attracted the attention of some Mooslims who 
were passing, and we were advised to walk on. 
This was once the cathedral church of St. John, and 
is said to be the largest and most splendid of all the 
churches erected by the early Christians in this 
country. It is crowned by a lofty stone cupola, 
and has two minarets at each end. The outer 
court, which is very spacious, is paved with marble ; 
it has a large fountain in the middle, and is sur- 
rounded by a double cloister. The mosque of the 
Durweeshes has the finest minarets in Damascus ; 
and another is remarkable for the minarets being 
encased with enameled tiles of various colours. 

Near the entrance to the great mosque there is 
a fine fountain, which throws up the water about 
twenty feet ; and immediately opposite it is one of 
the principal coffee-houses. These are generally 
light, elegant structures, painted with gay colours, 
and open in front. Creeping plants are trained up 
the slender columns that support the roof, and the 
interior is furnished with deewans and cushions ; 
coffee and various kinds of sherbet are served to 
the guests, and chibouks and nargeelehs kept for 
those who do not bring their own. The coffee- 
houses are almost all placed near these fountains, 
or open upon a garden, with a little cascade or a 
stream of water, whose gentle, murmuring sound 
appears to lull the smokers into a pleasing state of 



284 



DAMASCUS. 



[let. VIII* 



dreamy indolence. They look very contemplative, 
without the trouble of thinking. One of the guests 
at Maksoud's one evening, when we were discussing 
the comparative merits of the sheesheh and chibouk, 
rested his preference of the former on the soothing 
effect produced by the murmuring of the water in 
the vase. 

Damascus possesses fewer antiquities than might 
be expected in one of the earliest cities mentioned 
in the Bible ; coeval with some which existed very 
soon after the Flood. The most ancient remains 
are a portion of a wall, built with square blocks of 
stone ; and, in some instances, of blocks of which 
the height exceeds the breadth ; a style of building 
which belongs to a very ancient period. The 
Castle, like every place of strength in this country, 
has been destroyed, rebuilt, and altered at various 
periods. The oldest part, near the foundation, is 
formed of stones of very great size ; and the broad 
ditch which surrounds it, is built in the rustic 
masonry of the Romans. 

A house is pointed out in one of the greab 
thoroughfares, supposed to be the street u called 
Straight,' 1 as the house of Judas where Saul of 
Tarsus lodged ; and the part of the wall from 
which he was let down by night in a basket, when 
the Jews watched to kill him, is also shown. About 
a quarter of a mile from the eastern gate, you 



LET. VIII.] 



ENVIRONS OF DAMASCUS. 



285 



may stand on the exact spot which was the scene 
of his miraculous conversion. But there is really 
little interest in visiting these places in the absence 
of any better evidence of their identity than might 
be produced for the situation of the dwelling of 
" Eliezer of Damascus," the steward of Abraham, 
The feeling that you are in the city of Damascus, 
notwithstanding all the alterations which it has 
undergone, is itself too engrossing to allow any 
interest to modern, and very uncertain traditions, 
respecting streets and houses. 

The gardens around Damascus extend, as I 
have already said, for many miles into the plain. 
They are intersected by numerous streams of 
water, and may rather be called groves of fruit- 
trees than gardens. To the west, they extend to 
the great suburb of Salahieh ; richly varied with 
corn-fields and olive-grounds, deep groves of cy- 
press, and long avenues of stately poplars. There 
is but one river, the Barada ; but there can be 
little doubt that its diverging branches, which 
beautify the city and enrich the gardens which 
surround it, were the " Abana and Pharpar, rivers 
of Damascus," which Naaman the Syrian thought 
" better than all the waters of Israel;" and which 
the present inhabitants hold in scarcely less esti- 
mation. 



286 



DEPARTURE FROM 



[let. VIII. 



We had intended to visit Baalbec on our return 
to Beyrout, but the road by Zebdeni was still 
unsafe ; and, although the consul offered to procure 
us an escort, we thought it more advisable to 
keep by the direct route till we had crossed the 
Bekaa, and then turn northwards to Zahle, the 
principal town in the Emir Besheer^s territory ; we 
could there ascertain the practicability of crossing 
the plain to Baalbec. 

The muleteers had lately been travelling in large 
bodies, for their mutual protection ; and a nume- 
rous caravan started from Damascus some hours 
before we bade adieu to that city. 

Having taken leave of our kind host, who had 
loaded our baggage with a supply of cold fowls, 
bread, coffee, and sugar, we mounted about seven 
o'clock in the morning, and at three arrived at the 
bivouac of the muleteers, a few miles to the west 
of Dumas. The place was well chosen ; in a narrow 
valley, and in the immediate vicinity of copious 
springs of water. Two hundred mules were drawn 
up in a double line across the pass, and the bales 
of goods arranged as a sort of breast -work, to 
protect the party from any sudden attack during 
the night. The muleteers, eighty in number, were 
all armed with pistols or carabines ; fine athletic- 
looking fellows, who looked as if they would show 



LET. VIII.] 



DAMASCUS. 



287 



some fight for the beasts and bales ; the rather 
that, being all Maronites, they could expect no 
mercy at the hands of the Metawalees. 

One or two stray parties of wayfarers had halted 
to avail themselves of the protection of the caravan, 
and were busy making their very simple prepara- 
tions for the night when w T e arrived. 

As the mosquitoes were very numerous in the 
bottom of the valley, we removed to the shelter of 
a high rock a little way up the hill, where we 
spread our carpets, and, having done reasonable 
justice to our Damascene friend's good cheer, 
passed a tolerably comfortable night. About two 
o'clock in the morning we were roused by the pre- 
parations for the march, and were soon winding 
through the rocky passes of Anti-Libanus. 

The morning w T as bitterly cold, and for some 
hours my fingers were so benumbed that I could 
scarcely hold the bridle ; but the sun w T as up 
before we began to descend to the plain, and I 
think I never felt so hot a day. As we crossed 
the Bekaa, a party of horsemen were seen at some 
distance, in the direction of Baalbec. They were 
too far off to distinguish friends from foes ; but the 
long Arab spear, with its tuft of black ostrich 
feathers, boded no success to our expedition. 

A little after mid-day we reached Zahle, where 



288 



RETURN TO BEYROUT. 



[let. VIII. 



we learned from the Mutsellim that the Meta- 
walees had attacked and plundered one of the 
villages on the plain that morning, and that they 
were collected in great numbers at Baalbec. We 
were, therefore, unwillingly obliged to turn back 
into the mountains, and reached Khan Murad at 
sunset ; and arrived here before noon next day, 



LET. IX.] 



REBELLIOUS METAWALIES. 



289 



LETTER IX. 

Troubles in the dominions of the Pacha — Climate and diseases 
at Beyrout — Popularity of the English — Excursion to Ayn el 
Berbe — The Maronites- — Inhabitants of Beyrout — Manners, 
climate, &c. 

Beyrout, August 26, 1839. 

My dear — — , 

Since our return from Damascus, we have heard 
that a body of troops, under one of the young 
emirs of the Druses, had marched against the Meta- 
walies. A skirmish took place in the neighbour- 
hood of Baalbec, in which four or five soldiers and 
the emir were killed. Twenty of the Metawalies 
with their leader were taken prisoners, and carried 
to Damascus, where they will probably all be be- 
headed. Their chief, the Emir Zhooeb, will at 
all events lose his head. He was formerly Mut- 
sellim of Baalbec, but was deprived of his govern- 
ment for some of those irregular practices, which, 
how T ever tolerated under the Turkish pachas, are 
severely punished by Mehemet Ali. He has 
committed many excesses lately, and the death of 
this young emir, a grandson of the Emir Besheer, 
determines his fate. 



290 



CLIMATE AND DISEASES 



[let. ix. 



An execution of more importance, however, has 
taken place since I left Damascus. The old Da- 
mascene nobles have always been regarded with 
jealousy by the present government, and they are 
isuspected of having been very actively instrumental 
in exciting the insurrections in the Houran. Let- 
ters from one of these grandees, Ali Aga Ksnet el 
Katabec, to the Turkish seraskier, Hafiz Ali 
Pacha, were intercepted ; and an order followed 
for his execution. Some apprehension was enter- 
tained that it might not be quite safe, in the 
present unprotected state of the city ; but the 
decapitation took place in the usual manner, and 
the body remained all day exposed in the bazaar 
without causing any apparent excitement among 
the people. His death is much regretted, for he 
was a man of high birth, and respected by all 
classes ; but no one appears to doubt the fact of 
his being engaged in a conspiracy against the 
government, or to dispute the justice of his 
sentence. 

The heat has now become very oppressive, and 
I shall be glad to make my escape before Septem- 
ber, which is the hottest and most unhealthy month 
in the whole year. The thermometer now stands 
at 99° (Fahrenheit) in the shade, and in a draft; 
and I seldom venture out during the heat of the day. 
Even writing a letter is rather a serious exertion 



LET. IX.] 



AT BEYROUT. 



291 



and the consumption of grapes, water-melons, and 
ice, is amazingly increased. We have a slight 
breeze in the morning, but it dies away before 
noon ; and the nights are so close and sultry that 
one can hardly sleep in the open air. Many of the 
Beyroutees now sleep on the roofs of their houses, 
and those who live in the upper part of the town, 
if they rise early enough, may see more of their 
neighbours' domestic arrangements than is intended 
to be public. 

W e have had several bad cases of malignant 
fever, and within these few days three French 
gentlemen, one of them the consul of that nation, 
have died, after a very short illness. It is singular 
that none of the English have been attacked by 
this fever ; but the French appear to agree as ill 
with the climate as they do with the people. 
They are not very popular here ; and Europeans 
are no longer designated by the general term 
Frank, but a marked distinction is made between 
the Inglez and the Franzouce, very much in favour 
of the former. 

This feeling in our favour is not confined to the 
people, but extends to the government also. A few 
days ago T — and I wished to spend the evening 
with the American missionaries, w T ho were about to 
remove with their school to one of the villages in 
the mountains. As the gates are closed at sunset, 
o 2 



292 



POPULARITY OF 



[let. IX. 



and our friends' house is without the walls, it was 
necessary to obtain permission from the governor 
to have the gate opened for us on our return. We 
therefore sent a message by the dragoman of the 
consulate, to request this favour, and were told 
that the Seraglio gate would be opened to us till ten 
o'clock. 

About half-past nine we arrived at the gate and 
knocked — no answer; the sentinel within was most 
probably enjoying a comfortable sleep at his post. 
A thundering summons with a large stone, how- 
ever, at last produced the demand, " Kee-men dooro. 
Who is that?" 

" Inglez, open." 

" Deh ! open! ehca bookrah^ yes, to-morrow ; 
you are too late." 

44 Bookrah, bookrah, what words are these, O 
man ! are you awake ? have you not an order from 
the Bey to open to us V 

" No, there is no order ; go, go." 

Salem, who was with us, lost all patience at this ; 
and, beating the door, shouted out " Ya lihanzeer I 
O thou hog ! what business is this ? open, O 
thou unlucky ! where is the key V " The key is 
with the Agha," answered the soldier, " and the 
Agha is asleep." " Tayeeb, well, you must awake 
him." "Eh ! who am I, and who is the Agha? 
awake him ! after all we are not asses, we know 



hy.T. ix.] 



THE ENGLISH. 



293 



something." The Agha however did awake, but 
all we got from him was, " What can I do ? I have 
no order, what more can I say— the Bey has for- 
gotten." 

We were rather in what the Yankees call a " re- 
gular fix," and would certainly have been kept out 
all night, had not a person, attracted by the noise, 
asked, from within the gate, who we were. For- 
tunately he knew us by name, and offered to carry 
a message to the house of Mahommed Bey ; but it 
was three quarters of an hour before he returned 
with the order for our admission. When the gate 
was opened, the sentinel had the assurance to ask 
for baksheesh, and received from Salem such a volley 
of abuse as would have silenced all Billingsgate. He 
was a hog, all his ancestors were hogs, and all his 
posterity would be hogs ! his father and mother 
were sold a thousand times over ; and their graves 
denied in all imaginable ways. The Arabs seldom 
come to blows, but at railing and abusing one 
another they may be matched against the w orld. 

On requesting an explanation next day of the 
governor, and complaining of the indignity with 
which we had been treated, he acknowledged that 
he had forgotten the order; he was sorry that we 
had been detained so long at the gate ; but, in 
order to prevent such an occurrence in future, he 
would now issue a general order that the Seraglio 



294 



EXCURSION TO 



[let. IX, 



gate should be opened to all the English, until the 
hour of eleven at night. It is a privilege, however, 
that I have never availed myself of. 

Every one who can leave the town has now gone 
to the mountains, and we who are forced to remain 
are obliged to content ourselves with a gallop out 
in the afternoon and return next morning, or the 
day following. I like these wild rides into the 

mountains. Last week T and I rode up to 

Ayn el Berde, a beautiful secluded spot, some 
three or four hours from Beyrout. It is, as the 
Arabic name implies, a fountain of delightfully 
cold water, which, issuing in a copious stream from 
the rocks, is received into a stone basin under the 
shade of a magnificent caroob-tree. There is no 
village near it ; but within a short distance are one 
or two lonely cottages among the vineyards and 
mulberry gardens. It is on the upmost verge of 
the cultivated part of the mountain ; below are 
gardens and pine woods ; and above, the wild 
rocks and tangled shrubbery. The air is clear, 
cool, and refreshing after the sultry atmosphere of 
Beyrout ; and the view over the lower heights 
covered, with vines and olives mingling with the 
dark pine woods, to the wide expanse of the blue 
Mediterranean, is one of the most beautiful I ever 
beheld. 

We mounted our horses as the sun was setting, 



LET. IX.] 



AYN EL BERDE. 



295 



and rode out of the town a little before the closing 
of the gates, followed by a servant, who carried on 
his horse some provisions, barley for our horses, 
one or two utensils for cooking, and the seggadehs * 
to spread under us at night — for at this season it 
is far more agreeable to sleep in the open air than 
in the confined atmosphere of a Maronite cottage. 

The sun had set long before we reached the foot 
of the mountains ; we were on no beaten path, 
and Hamoud, our servant, who was to guide us to 
Ayn el Berde, became so bewildered by the change 
produced by the moonlight on the surrounding 
scenery, that he soon lost the way altogether. 
This, to be sure, was a matter of little importance, 
as we were quite indifferent where we took up our 
lodging, and the ride was much too agreeable for 
me to wish it at an end. It is a delightful excite- 
ment, this hunting one^s way among the mountains 
by night ; now riding over the open braes in the 
broad moonlight, and then winding along intricate 
and rugged paths through the thick groves of pine 
trees ; scrambling up the dry bed of a winter tor- 
rent, and then skirting along the verge of some 
steep descent ; the village lights faintly glimmer- 
ing in the bottom of the valley, and no sound heard 
but the rushing of the wind and the creaking of 
the pine trees. 



* The prayer-carpet used by the Mooslims. 



296 



MARONITE COTTAGE 



[let. jx. 



Poor Hamoud, I dare say, had little sympathy 
with any such feelings, and could see little amuse- 
ment in our wild scamper. His kadeesh* could not 
keep up with our horses ; from leading the way he 
had very soon dropped behind, and we were obliged 
every now and then to stop and shout to him, and 
then start off again as soon as we heard the clatter 
of his coffee-pots and canisters. 

At last, we were fairly brought up, in the middle 
of an old straggling pine wood, by a ridge of rock 
about eight or ten feet high. After picking our 
way out of the wood, we saw.lights among the trees 
above us, and in a few minutes reached a large cot- 
tage within twenty yards of the fountain. We 
had intended to bivouac under the caroob-tree be- 
side the well ; but there was evidently some merry- 
making going on in the cottage, and as the sounds 
which reached our ears seemed to indicate that 
the rakee had been circulating rather freely, we 
thought it more prudent to seek other quarters. 

About ten o'clock we reached a snug quiet cot- 
tage, about a quarter of a mile on the other side of 
the well, where we alighted. Finding the door open, 
we walked into the house. On one side were two 
women apparently asleep on the floor, and on the 
other, three or four children. The children were 
too sound asleep to be disturbed by our entrance. 



* Hack, gelding. 



let. ix.] AND ITS INHABITANTS. 297 

and the ladies, after looking up to see who the 
intruders were, very considerately covered their 
faces with the blanket, and composed themselves 
to rest again. I observed that they both wore the 
tantour (horn), a most incommodious appendage to 
one's night-gear. 

At the opposite side of the house, on a terrace 
formed by the roof of some under building, we 
found the owner of the house, with two Maronite 
priests, smoking their last pipe before retiring to 
rest. They received us in the same homely hospi- 
table manner which you have often seen in our own 
Highland cottages; brought us grapes, and assisted 
in preparing our coffee while Hamoud was busy 
with the horses, and in drinking it afterwards. 
After the usual inquiries after our health, and 
whether our keif, our humour, was good, came the 
never- failing question, Shoo ishdeed andac ? " What 
is new with you?" and, after discussing all the 
news of Beyrout, we retired to rest. They pressed 
us to sleep within the house, but there was a sort of 
rude porch at one end of the cottage, with vines 
trained over it, on which I had fixed in my own 
mind for a sleeping-place, and there our carpsts 
were spread. 

It is delightful to awake with the fresh morning 
air breathing in your face, and the hum of bees in 
your ears, in such a chamber as ours was that 
o 3 



298 



COUNTRY OP 



[let. IX. 



night. It was u a porch of rare device," as that 
in which that " comely dame clad in fayre weedes " 
presented her golden cup to Sir Guyon. 

Archt over-head with an embracing vine, 
Whose bounches hanging downe seemed to entice 
Ali passers by to taste their luscious wine, 
And did themselves into their hands incline, 
As freely offering to be gathered 1 ; 
Some deep empurpled as the hyacine, 
Some as the rubine laughing sweetly red, 
Some like faire emerauds not yet well ripened. 

Nothing could be more perfectly lovely than the 
whole scene before us. The sky and sea were both 
so purely blue, so calm and unruffled, that the eye 
hardly detected their meeting at the horizon ; there 
was scarcely a breath of wind to stir the mass of 
beautifully varied and undulated foliage spread 
out beneath us ; and thin lines of blue smoke rising 
at wide distances above the trees, alone indicated 
the neighbourhood of human habitations. There 
was a still, peaceful silence, made more Sabbath- 
like by the distant tolling of a convent bell ; for one 
forgot, for a time, that the bell called a few monks 
only to the performance of vain and unmeaning 
ceremonies, which seem to degenerate into a kind 
of mere physical exercise ; a religion of attitudes. 

I have seen no country where I should like more 
to spend a couple of months in summer than this. 
They are a simple, kind-hearted people too, the 



iKT. IX.] 



THE MARONITES. 



299 



Maronites, as far as I can see ; and, happily for 
them, their religion exempts, or rather excludes, 
them from military service, and they escape the 
heaviest of all the evils under which this country 
has suffered — the conscription. There is one draw- 
back to making a summer sojourn among these 
mountains ; the absence of anything like com- 
fortable accommodation for those who feel a preju- 
dice in favour of living in houses, or indeed of 
anything belonging to civilised life ; so, on second 
thoughts, I give it up. Even in a short ramble of 
this kind, there are certain discomforts ; you can- 
not carry meat with you, and you can get none 
except fowls, and they are invariably so tough as 
to be hardly eatable ; and coarse bread, eggs, and 
sour milk are, after all, but sorry fare. Then, 
although one gets tolerably accustomed to sleeping 
in a tent, or even without a tent, you are sadly dis- 
turbed by the neighing and screaming of your 
horses at night. They are the most gentle and 
docile creatures possible to ride, but if they break 
loose they sometimes fight like tigers. The horses 
of this part of the country are the most sure-footed 
animals I ever saw. On descending from Ayn el 
Berde, we were rather surprised to see by daylight 
the ticklish nature of some parts of the ground we 
had ridden over a night or two before ; places that 
would have insured broken knees, if not more 



300 



ARAB HORSES. 



[let. IX. 



serious accidents, to any English horse. But the 
sure-footedness of the horses of this country arises 
altogether from the manner in which they are 
brought up. A colt is as much domesticated in an 
Arab cottage as the pig in an Irish hovel, and as 
soon as the mare can be ridden, the colt trots at her 
heels wherever she goes. About a month ago, 
every second horseman one met in the streets, or 
around the town, had a colt trotting after him. In 
this way they are accustomed, from the time they 
are a month old, to pick their steps over the most 
rugged mountain paths, and to meet all the sights 
and noises of a town ; and it is very rarely indeed 
that they either shy or stumble. 

I am preparing to start by the next packet, and 
hope to reach home before Christmas at any rate. 
I have not been able to visit many places which I 
ought to have seen, and which I intended to see 
when I left home ; but, in visiting Petra, I have 
seen what is most difficult and laborious of access, 
and what will, I fear, in the event of any change in 
the government of this country, be almost inacces- 
sible. For the rest, the facility of travelling is now 
such, that really, after one has been here, the dis- 
tance from England does not appear so great as to 
preclude all thoughts of a second visit ; and I do 
not despair of yet being able to pass the cataracts 
of the Nile. 



LET. IX.] 



CLIMATE OF BEYROUT. 



301 



After nearly six months' residence in this place, 
I do not leave it without some feelings of regret, 
and some hope that I may return. From the 1st 
of April till the end of July the climate is delight- 
ful ; in April and May the thermometer is rarely 
above 80° ; in June and July it ranges between 
85° and 90°; and it is only in August and 
September that the heat becomes really oppressive. 
During the whole summer we have been unvisited 
by any contagious disease, until about a month 
ago ; and the fever which then appeared was, 
singularly enough, confined to the French resi- 
dents. The peculiar disease of the country is the 
intermittent fever and ague ; but every case which 
has come to my knowledge, among the English 
residents, might be traced to some imprudence of 
their own, sleeping in the open air during the rainy 
season, riding in wet clothes, or some other want 
of caution in their mode of living. The natives 
are a peculiarly healthy, robust race of people, and 
many of them possessed of great muscular strength. 
It is no uncommon thing to see a porter on the 
marina walk awav with a bale of cotton twist, 
weighing 600 lbs., on his shoulders. Many cases 
of fever among the native population arise not so 
much from the climate as from the excessive 
quantity of unripe fruit and raw vegetables eaten 
by the common people. Most of their vegetables — 



S02 



VEGETABLE PRODUCTS, 



[let. IX. 



the kooseh, a small pumpkin about three inches 
long, the bamiyeh, the pod of the hibiscus, and the 
badingan, the fruit of the egg-plant — are both agree- 
able and wholesome when cooked ; but all of them 
are eaten raw by the common people and children, 
during the hottest season, and when every kind of 
fruit is abundant. The water-melon, which is 
imported in large quantities from J affa, is a most 
delicious fruit ; but after being kept a few days it 
acquires a sharp acid flavour, and when cut and 
exposed to the air it begins to ferment. The better 
class of people buy them fresh from the boats, or 
soon after their arrival ; but in the bazaars, where 
they are sold to the lower classes, they are cut into 
slices and remain exposed to the sun, and covered 
with flies, and must almost invariably be eaten in 
a state of fermentation. The prickly-pear, which 
abounds in the neighbourhood of Beyrout, is also 
eaten in great quantities, and is, I believe, whole- 
some enough ; but it is really fearful to see the 
number which an Arab will swallow, one after 
another. He seats himself beside the basket, and 
as fast as the seller can open and remove the prickly 
rind, he bolts the fruit, apparently without any 
mastication ; and after he has swallowed a dozen 
or two, he wipes his mouth, says El am doo lillali> 
" Praise be to Allah," and rising slowly, walks off 
to his work. 



LET. IX.] 



INSECTS, AND REPTILES, 



803 



There is no doubt that this climate is more 
healthy than that of Bombay or Calcutta ; the 
houses are generally well built, and can be made 
sufficiently warm during the winter. There are 
circumstances which do somewhat detract from 
the pleasure of living in such a climate ; fleas 
swarm in every apartment during the cooler 
months, and mosquitoes give you no rest during 
the heat ; ugly little lizards run about your bed- 
room; and all the old houses are infested with 
black snakes. On entering your room at night 
with a candle, you may chance to see an extra- 
ordinary shadow moving across the floor. You 
stoop down to ascertain whether it is a mouse or 
a lizard, and find an immense strong-legged, hairy 
spider, as big as a pigeon's egg. In your horror at 
his appearance, you allow the monster to escape 
into his hole, and are left in the delightful uncer- 
tainty whether he won't return to pay you a visit 
in bed. But one gets accustomed to all these 
things, and they soon cease to occasion any very 
great discomfort : you find that the lizards are 
very harmless ; you declare a war of extermination 
against the spiders ; and you learn to submit to 
the fleas and mosquitoes, because you must. 



304 



HARBOUR OF 



[let. X. 



LETTER X. 

Marine Sham-Fight in the harbour of Alexandria — Naval 
resources of the Pacha. 

On board II. M.S. Volcano, Sept. 5, 1839. 

My dear , 

On the 2nd inst. we sailed from Beyrout and 
reached Alexandria on the 4th, just in time to get 
into the harbour before sunset. The harbour next 
morning presented a very animated and warlike 
appearance. I had been awakened at an early 
hour by the drums beating to quarters ; and, on 
coming on deck, found the harbour covered with 
gun-boats, and the boats of the fleet, which moved 
in two divisions to attack the Seraglio and the 
forts on shore — a sham attack, you understand. 
They kept up a thundering fire for about an hour, 
and to those who understood it, it might be very 
pretty sport, I dare say ; but as I saw nothing 
but smoke after the first round, and almost lost 
my hearing for the rest of the day, besides being 
kept on board till the affair was over, it was any- 
thing but amusing to me. Including the Turkish 



LET. X.] 



ALEXANDRIA. 



305 



fleet, which has in so extraordinary a manner been 
placed in Mehemet Ali's hands, there are in the 
harbour at Alexandria twenty line-of-battle ships, 
and thirty frigates and corvettes, and smaller craft. 
The Mahmoiidie, the Turkish admiral's ship, a 
four-decker, carrying 140 guns, is a magnificent 
vessel. 

The entrance to the harbour is surrounded by a 
dangerous circle of submarine rocks, through which 
there are two narrow passages. The deepest of 
these admits frigates ; but ships of greater draught 
of water are obliged to discharge their guns and 
shot before they can enter. It is said that after 
the arrival of the Turkish fleet Mehemet Ali caused 
their guns and shot to be re-shipped, but took 
care to keep their powder, so that they lie there 
without the power of leaving the harbour, or of 
fighting ; and they are so placed that each Turk 
is raked by an Egyptian ship. Meanwhile he is 
drafting their crews into his own ships, so that the 
crews of each may consist of two-thirds Egyp- 
tians, and one-third Turks. A most shifty old fox 
he is ; and whatever may be thought at home, 
where nothing is considered impossible for British 
sailors to accomplish, the English officers here do 
not look on an attack upon Alexandria as any 
light matter. 



306 



ARRIVAL AT MALTA. 



[let. X. 



Malta, llth Sept, 

We entered the quarantine harbour last night 
about eight o^clock, and I landed this afternoon, 
having remained on board the Volcano to lunch 
with Capt. West, whose beef-steak and champagne 
were luxuries which I have not seen for many 
months. And now I must despatch this as quickly 
as possible, as I have my quarters to arrange and 
all my trunks to unpack ; for every article of 
clothing must be hung up to the air for three days. 



I.T.T. XI. 



QUARANTINE COMFORTS. 



307 



LETTER XL 

Fort Manuel at Malta, and quarantine station — The govern- 
mental policy of Mehemet Ali ? with opinions thereon. 

Malta, Sept. 15, 1839. 

My DEAR , 

The quarantine here, if one has any kind of 
occupation, is not so very uncomfortable after all. 
I am in Fort Manuel, which is now used as a 
lazaretto exclusively, I believe, for the steam- 
packet passengers. I have two sitting-rooms and 
a very comfortable sleeping apartment above, with 
every sort of convenience. I have a tolerable space 
of the ramparts to walk on, and permission either 
to bathe or fish in the harbour, any time before six 
o'clock in the morning, which, as far as I am con- 
cerned, amou-nts to a prohibition. Very good, and 
very dear dinners are furnished from a restaurant 
in the fort, and a circulating-library offers its bill 
of fare as soon as your arrival is known. 

This fort was built by Manuel de Vilhena, 
Grand Master in the year 1793 ; a bronze statue 
of whom stands in the middle of the square. To 



308 



GOVERNMENTAL POLICY 



[let. XI. 



judge from the panegyric which appears on the 
base of the statue, he must have been a man of the 
most extraordinary virtues and consummate wis- 
dom. On one side of the square there is a small 
church, dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua, which 
is occasionally used when a clergyman happens to 
be in quarantine. The regulations are very strict, 
as J have found to my cost. Capt. West called 
for me yesterday and brought some English news- 
papers, which he tossed across the barrier, and I 
very thoughtlessly picked up and put in my 
pocket ; and my quarantine has, in consequence, 
been extended two days, the ship having two days 
longer than the passengers. 

Meanwhile I cannot better relieve the irksome- 
ness of my confinement than by trying to reply, 
as well as I can, to your repeated inquiries regard- 
ing the government of Mehemet Ali, and its effects 
on the countries under his dominion. 

I have hitherto abstained from giving any opi- 
nion on these subjects, because I was anxious to 
avoid the error into which many English travellers 
have fallen, of drawing hasty and ill-founded con- 
clusions from impressions received during a rapid 
journey, merely because these impressions appeared 
to confirm the opinions or prejudices with which I 
left home. The whole system of government, the 
whole character and habits of the people, were 



LET. XI.] 



OF MEHEMET ALL 



309 



new to me ; and where society is composed of 
elements, and subject to influences, with which we 
are little acquainted, a careless observer may often 
attribute to the government evils which arise from 
a totally different source. Few travellers take the 
trouble to inquire how many evils, which existed 
under the Turkish government, have been reformed 
by Mehemet Ali ; or how many abuses of power 
which they now witness did exist before he became 
ruler of Egypt and Syria. Few are sufficiently 
careful to distinguish between what may be justly 
attributed to his government, and what exists 
only in spite of it. 

Their very imperfect knowledge, more frequently 
their total ignorance, of the language of the coun- 
try, is a great obstacle in the way of English tra- 
vellers acquiring correct opinions on this subject. 
They never come in contact with the more intelli- 
gent and better class of natives, and know little 
of their opinions, or of the feelings with which 
they regard the present government. There is 
enough, on the outside of things in Egypt at least, 
to confirm the opinions of those who are prepared 
to take the worst view of the Pacha's character 
and government; on the other hand, it can hardly 
be denied that he has introduced many wise and 
salutary reforms ; and his admirers, as well as his 
opponents, find somewhat to advance in favour of 



310 GOVERNMENTAL POLICY [let. Xi. 

their own peculiar opinions. Each party is pre- 
pared with notable anecdotes and very plausible 
statistics, which the traveller has neither time nor 
opportunity to investigate; and just as he happens 
to have come more or less in contact with either 
party, do we find him indulging in unlimited pane- 
gyric, or equally indiscriminate censure, of the 
whole character and policy of Mehemet Ali. 

Of his character, it is unnecessary to say much. 
One memorable act, the massacre of the Mem- 
looks, it is impossible for any sophistry to defend ; 
nor will the plea of political necessity go any 
great way to palliate the deliberate, cold-blooded 
treachery, by which his victims were allured within 
the walls of the citadel of Cairo, and shot down in 
detail, when incapable of resistance or defence. 
Those who have the best means of judging assert, 
that Mehemet Ali is not naturally of a sanguinary 
disposition ; and that capital punishments have 
been less frequent under his government than under 
the Turks. This may be true ; but it is evident 
that where he has an object to attain, he will not 
be restrained by any nice scruples of honour, or 
feeling for the sufferings of others. 

At the same time, it must be admitted that a 
government which, in a Mahommedan country, 
extends its protection equally over every Moos- 
lim, Christian, and Jew ; which has founded 



let/xi.] 



OF MEHEMET ALT, 



schools of medicine and military hospitals on 
a liberal and extensive scale ; introduced the 
art of printing ; and allowed English missionary 
societies to establish their schools, and circulate 
their publications in the capital and in other towns 
— has done something to advance the country in 
the scale of civilisation. 

In all countries, and under every form of 
government, there will be found multitudes who 
are ready to raise the cry of tyranny and oppres- 
sion against their rulers ; and interested persons 
are never wanting to avail themselves, in moments 
of excitement, of the misdirected feelings of the 
people, for their own selfish ends. This is the 
case in Syria as well as in Europe. I am very far 
from meaning that the people have no grievances 
to complain of, but I think some of their com- 
plaints are unreasonable ; and many of the evils 
which the opponents of Mehemet Ali attribute to 
his government, always did exist, and are inse- 
parable from the prevailing religion of the country 

Mr. Farren, in his letter to Lord Lindsay, 
censures Mehemet Ali for having introduced no 
written code of laws. It is rather strange that 
Mr. Farren, who lived so many years in a Ma- 
hommedan country, should be ignorant of the 
fact, that the Koraan is at once the standard of 
religious belief, and the text-book of the civil law ; 



312 



GOVERNMENTAL POLICY 



[let. xr. 



that the priests are the expounders of the law as 
well as of articles of faith ; and that the intro- 
duction of a new written code involves the total 
overthrow of the religion of Mohammed. In fact, 
the most tenuous opponents of the present 
government, and the most active intriguers against 
it, have been the leaders of the Shereefs, and other 
rigid Mooslim sects; who regarded many of the 
changes which the Pacha did introduce as hetero- 
dox, and tending to subvert the established religion. 
They are opposed to all change. Their ideas of 
civil and ecclesiastical government are expressed 
in the saying of the Arabian conqueror who de- 
stroyed the Alexandrian library : — "If these books 
contain the truth, they are superfluous, it is already 
in the Koraan ; if what they contain is not there, 
they are false, and ought to be destroyed." 

The circumstances of Syria are somewhat dif- 
ferent from those of Egypt. The Pacha is not 
the sole proprietor of land, and the monopolist of 
manufactures, as in the latter country ; and there, 
I believe, the people are subjected to heavier taxes, 
and to a greater amount of enforced labour for the 
service of the government. But I saw little of 
Egypt, and had not the same opportunities for 
acquiring information there as in Syria. You will 
understand, then, that my remarks now apply only 
to Syria. 



LET. XI.] 



OF MEHEMET ALI. 



313 



In order to form a fair estimate of the good or 
evil of Mehemet Ali's government in this country, 
you must not try it by the standard of enlightened 
and civilised government in Europe, but by a com- 
parison with that which it super: \J. It is not 
a good government ; but w T hat is bad in it belongs 
to the Turkish government also, and what is com- 
paratively good is Mehemet Ali's. Many evils 
which may be attributed to him, are not so much 
evils of system as of mode and degree. - The con- 
scription is practised in other countries, but here 
it is often enforced in a cruel manner, and to a 
ruinous degree. On the whole, however, I have 
little hesitation in saying, that the government of 
Mehemet Ali in Syria is better than that of liie 
Turkish pachas ; and I have no hesitation at all 
in saying, that it has been very much misrepre- 
sented in England. 

The Turkish pachas received their appointments 
at Constantinople, nominally for a period of one 
year only ; and as the succession to the different 
pachalics was an object of continual intrigue at the 
Porte, they held their office by too precarious a 
tenure to permit them, had they been so inclined, 
to attempt any speculative improvements, to feel 
any interest in the welfare of the people over whom 
they ruled, or to have any object beyond amassing 
as much money as possible during the short and 



314 



GOVERNMENTAL POLICY 



[let. xi. 



uncertain term of their government. They were 
nominally endowed with almost unlimited power ; 
but the supreme government was indifferent to 
their administration of it, as long as the fixed 
amount of revenue was annually remitted to Con- 
stantinople. 

Besides the regular taxes, the country was sub- 
jected to occasional arbitrary exactions, under the 
name of avania, which were imposed on various 
pretexts : and neither the avania nor the regular 
taxes were systematically levied from the different 
classes of the whole community, but extorted from 
any number of wealthy individuals on whom the 
local government chose to impose the burden. I 
have been told by merchants in Bey rout and 
Damascus, whose fathers or themselves had suf- 
fered under this system, that the avania was 
collected in the following manner : — The whole, or 
a very large portion of the sum to be collected, 
was first demanded from two or three of the 
wealthiest merchants, who, to save themselves 
from total ruin, purchased a reduction of the 
amount by large bribes to the local governor. 
The balance was then demanded from a few more 
individuals, who were forced, in their turn, to 
bribe the governor ; and so on, until the whole 
avania was collected ; and, in addition to it, a 
large sum which went in the coffers of the local 



LET, XI.J 



OF MEHEMET ALL 



S15 



government^ Even the great bribe to the pacha 
could only be effected by means of smaller bribes 
to a host of intermediate officers. I know one 
man now in Beyrout, formerly one of the wealthiest 
merchants in the place, and a proprietor of ex- 
tensive mulberry gardens, who was totally ruined 
by these extortions, under the government of 
Abd^Allah Pacha. Another Christian merchant, 
who is still living in Beyrout, was bastinadoed 
nearly to death for refusing to purchase a quantity 
of soap from Abd'Allah Pacha, at more than 
double its marketable value. This was a monopoly 
of the pacha's, who had large manufactories of 
soap at Beyrout, Sidon, and J affa, the produce of 
which he compelled the merchants to purchase at 
an arbitrary and enormous price. 

The difficulty of collecting the taxes, and the 
generally unsettled state of the country, was always 
made a pretext for not increasing the amount of 
revenue sent to the Porte, while it afforded the 
pacha constant opportunities for practising those 
arbitrary extortions by w T hich he filled his own 
coffers. The reputation of being rich was the sure 
forerunner of those exactions by which many were 
reduced to beggary, or left with just enough of 
capital to enable them once more to amass a suffi- 
cient sum to tempt the cupidity of their rulers. 
The productive industry of the country was checked, 

p 2 



316 GOVERNMENTAL POLICY [let.xi. 



and the profits of successful enterprise, which ought 
to have given an increased impetus to trade, were 
exhausted by the avanias of the Porte, and wasted 
in luxurious indolence and debauchery by the 
pachas. 

The Christian suffered even more than the Moos- 
lim. for in addition to the oppression felt, more or 
less, by all, he had to contend with a bigotry and 
fanaticism which justified any act of cruelty against 
an alien from the dominant religion. If a Chris- 
tian applied for payment of a debt clue by a Moos- 
lim, he was treated with the most contemptuous 
insolence, and often excluded by violence from the 
house of his debtor. I state this from the informa- 
tion given me by persons in Damascus, who have 
experienced such treatment from their Mooslim 
debtors. The law afforded no redress to a Chris- 
tian against a true believer; and, among the 
Mooslims themselves, he who could give the largest 
bribe to the ckadee secured a decision in his favour. 
The powerful had absolute control over the weak ; 
public offices were sold, or bestowed on unworthy 
favourites ; the administration of justice was cor- 
rupt, and the emoluments of the judge were the 
bribes and baksheeshes by which all law and justice 
were subverted. 

The small number of irregular troops which the 
pachas kept in their pay were not always sufficient 



LET. XI.] 



OF MEHEMET ALI. 



317 



for their own protection against sudden outbreaks 
of popular violence. They were unable to check 
the predatory incursions of the Bedaween tribes, 
or to control the turbulent nobles, who, living in 
the style of petty princes, and surrounded by 
numerous bodies of armed retainers, set the govern- 
ment at defiance, while they distracted the peace 
of the country by their own feuds. 

This state of aifairs, the weakness of the pachas, 
and the supineness of the government at Constan- 
tinople, were sufficiently favourable for the designs 
of Mehemet Ali ; but additional circumstances 
arose, which enabled him to put in execution his 
project of seizing on the sovereignty of Syria. A 
number of Jannisaries had taken refuge in the 
cities of Damascus and Aleppo ; and when it w T as 
known that Mehemet Selim, the Grand Vizier, 
who had been so actively instrumental in the 
destruction of their body, had been appointed to 
the pachalic of Damascus, Mehemet Ali found 
ready and powerful adherents, not only in the 
proscribed Jannisaries, but in the fanatic populace 
and their leaders, who regarded them as martyrs 
to the cause of religion. The new pacha was 
massacred amid the popular tumult which arose 
on his arrival at Damascus; and Mehemet Ali, 
taking advantage of the excitement in Syria, and 
the supineness of the government at Constants 



318 



GOVERNMENTAL POLICY 



[let. xr, 



nople, marched a large body of Bedawee cavalry 
across the Desert from Egypt, and invested Acre. 

A personal quarrel with Abdallah, Pacha of 
Acre, was the publicly-avowed pretext for this 
invasion ; but there can be no doubt that it was 
but the first step tow r ards the accomplishment of a 
long meditated design to seize on the government 
of Syria. While Acre was invested by the Egyp- 
tian forces by land, the fleet, under Ibrahim Pacha, 
carried on the attack from the bay ; and, after a 
siege of eight months, the place was surrendered 
to Mehemet Ali. 

After the capture of Acre, Ibrahim placed him- 
self at the head of the Egyptian army ; and, in a 
rapid and successful campaign, routed the forces 
opposed to him at Horns and Baylan, passed the 
defiles of Mount Taurus, and defeated the Turkish 
army on the plains of Koniah in December, 1832. 
By the settlement of Kutieh, which immediately 
followed, Syria and the province of Adana were 
placed under the government of Mehemet Ali, at 
an annual tribute of 6,000 purses. 

The party which had contributed so materially 
to Mehemet Ali's success in Syria, were opposed 
to all reform in the civil government of the country. 
Even the introduction of the European discipline 
in Egypt had been, for a time, successfully opposed 
by the irregular soldiery ; and it was only while 



LET. XI.] 



OF MEHEMET ALT. 



319 



the Pacha contrived to employ them in the subju- 
gation of some of the distant provinces, that the 
Egyptian regular troops were embodied, the new 
discipline introduced, and the nucleus of the re- 
gular army too firmly consolidated for further 
opposition. 

The proposed alterations in the civil govern- 
ment of Syria were equally distasteful to the popu- 
lar leaders and to the more rigid Mooslims. The 
Jannisaries and their adherents were as averse 
to the restraints of regular government as the 
Damascene nobles were to the loss of that irre- 
sponsible power and independence of the supreme 
government, which they had so long enjoyed; and 
the Shereefs, and other fanatics, regarded the 
Pachas opinions as heterodox, and subversive of 
the true faith. His power, however, was too great 
to be openly opposed ; and whatever might be the 
feelings of the great chiefs and the dignitaries of 
the mosque, there was a general impression among 
the people that the new government would be more 
favourable to them than that which it had dis- 
placed. 

The first measure of the Egyptian government 
was to abolish the avania. On one occasion a 
loan was exacted from the city of Damascus, but 
I was given to understand that it had been repaid, 
and that this was the only exaction of the kind 
which the government had at any time imposed. 



S20 



GOVERNMENTAL POLICY 



[let. XI. 



On abolishing the avania, a new tax was im- 
posed, called the Jirde, which is levied on all males 
above the age of fifteen, and collected in the fol- 
lowing manner. 

The governors of towns, and sheichs of villages, 
were required to make a return to government of 
all the chargeable persons within their respective 
jurisdictions. The Divan then fixed a uniform 
rate per head from this return, to remain unaltered 
for a certain number of years, when a new return 
is to be made. This uniform rate varies in differ- 
ent places : in Beyrout, it is 90 piastres* per 
head on the whole number of chargeable persons 
returned. The aggregate amount to be collected 
from each town or village is annually apportioned 
by its governor or sheich among the individuals 
liable to the tax, according to their supposed 
means ; and the new rate thus ascertained varies 
from 15 to 500 piastres. The heads of the dif- 
ferent sects of Christians and Jews apportion the 
firch among their respective bodies, and are 
Responsible for its collection. 

The miri, or land-tax, is levied not only on land 
but on some kinds of moveable property. The 
lands are- valued by the government surveyors, 
and the rate fixed for a term of ten years, after 
which a new survey is to be made. A tax on 



* The piastre is worth 2%d. sterling. 



LKT. XI. j 



OF MEHEMET ALL 



321 



cattle and flocks of sheep, also comes under the 
head of mivL The miri varies so much in differ- 
ent districts that I am unable to say what the 
ratals iperfeddan* ; but the whole revenue derived 
from this tax is greater than it was under the 
Turkish government. It must be observed, how- 
ever, that there is more land under cultivation 
than formerly. 

There is no tax on mulberry-trees, as there is 
on the date-trees in Egypt ; and Mr. Farren is 
in error in stating that the Pacha has monopolised 
the purchase of raw silk. The merchants in Bey- 
rout generally make advances to the proprietors of 
the silk-gardens, on the security of their produce ; 
which is brought down to Beyrout, and sold in the 
market. The person having the security either 
takes the silk at the market price, or is repaid his 
advance by the purchaser. I never heard of the 
government purchasing silk, or interfering in any 
way whatever with the sales. 

In addition to all other impositions the Chris- 
tians and Jews pay a poll-tax, called kharatch^ 
which is collected by the heads of the different 
sects in the same manner as the firde ; the payers 
being divided into three classes, of which the 
highest pay sixty-three piastres, the second one- 
half, and the third one-fourth of that sum. 



* A little less than an English acre. 

p 3 



322 



GOVERNMENTAL POLICY 



[let. XI. 



Besides these, there are duties levied on various 
articles of consumption, and on European goods 
entering Damascus from Beyrout. Many of these 
have lately been modified, and some of them 
removed altogether. The duty on butcher-meat 
was farmed by one individual, who received the 
duty when the sheep were slaughtered ; and it 
was illegal to kill a sheep, except at the public 
slaughter-house, where the duty was paid. This 
duty was removed a few months ago, and meat 
which was sold in the bazaars at 4~ piastres the 
oka *, can now be got for about half that price. 
Fruit, vegetables, and fish, pay a small duty when 
brought to market. The loaves, or rather cakes, 
of bread, are always sold at the same price, but 
are made larger or smaller according to the price 
of wheat. About two years ago the average price 
of wheat in the Beyrout market was twenty 
piastres the urrabah f ; but, in order to encourage 
importation, the duty on foreign grain was taken 
off ; and the price this year is about sixteen 
piastres. 

All the present taxes were levied by the Turkish 
government, except the firde ; but it is impossible 
to form any comparative estimate of the actual 
drain on the pecuniary resources of the country, 

* The oka is 2$ lbs. 
f The urrabah is equal to 1 4 okas. 



LET. XI.] 



OF MEHEMET ALL 



323 



under the Sultan and under Mehemet Ali. It is 
true the actual amount of the present taxes is con- 
siderably greater than the apparent amount under 
the Turkish government ; but it must be kept in 
mind that while Mehemet Ali's taxes are regularly 
and rigorously collected, those of the Sultan were 
partially levied, irregularly collected, and dimi- 
nished in their way to the treasury. The bribes 
which were extorted from the people, and without 
which no officer of the government could be ap- 
proached, and the numerous petty extortions to 
which they were continually subject, added very 
materially to the burden of the regular taxes, 
although to what exact amount cannot, of course, 
be ascertained. 

The appointment of the heads of the Christian 
sects, and of the Jews, to collect the taxes from 
their respective bodies, has relieved them from 
many vexatious extortions which they suffered 
under the Turks ; and the system of bribery which 
formerly pervaded every branch of the public ser- 
vice has been almost entirely abated. The governors 
of cities, and other officers of the government, may 
sometimes abuse their power; individual cases of 
oppression may occur ; and a ckadee may take a 
bribe ; but such offences are not of so frequent 
occurrence as formerly, and are very severely 
punished. The liberal salaries allowed to the 



324 



GOVERNMENTAL POLICY 



[let. XI. 



governors of towns, and military and civil officers 
of rank, remove to a certain extent the temptation 
to receive bribes ; and the severity with which the 
offence is punished has made it too dangerous to be 
practised to anything like the extent which for- 
merly prevailed. 

The partial manner in which the Turkish taxes 
were extorted from a few wealthy individuals, neces- 
sarily relieved the great mass of the people from 
their share of the general burdens ; and they, of 
course, complain of the increased taxation, as they 
would have complained of any taxation at all. The 
taxes are heavy, and the system of levying the firde 
at a fixed rate for a term of years, on each town 
or village, is manifestly unjust ; the tax remains 
unchanged, while the population has been dimi- 
nished by the conscription and other causes, and 
consequently the rate falls more heavily on the 
individual payers of the firde. 

But although the taxes are felt to be heavy, the 
single circumstance of their being so far system- 
atically fixed, that there is nothing vexatious in 
the mode of collecting them, and that every one 
knows the. maximum, beyond which no demand 
will be made upon him, has given rise to a feeling 
of confidence in the security of property which all 
feel, though few reflect on the causes from which 
it proceeds. I have never conversed with any 



LET. XI.] 



OF MEHEMET ALL 



325 



intelligent native merchant, and brought his com- 
parative situation under the two governments dis- 
tinctly before him, that he did not acknowledge 
the government of Mehemet Ali to be far prefer- 
able to that of the Turkish pachas, with some 
exceptions which I shall immediately notice. 
These exceptions, which arise from the main- 
tenance of a large standing army, are not so much 
felt by the Christian population, who are excluded 
from all military service, and who are, without 
exception, favourable to the present government. 
Their situation is comparatively better than that 
of the Mooslim population, as they formerly 
suffered more ; and their adherence to the present 
government, although they pay the kharatch in 
addition to all the exactions to which the Mooslims 
are liable, is no slight evidence that the taxes of 
Mehemet Ali, although more extensively, are, on 
the whole, less severely felt than those of the 
Turkish government. 

The burdens incident to the maintenance of 
so vast a military establishment as that of the 
Egyptian government, press heavily on all classes 
of the Mooslim population ; and, with the excep- 
tion of the conscription, are equally grievous to the 
Christians of Syria. 

Large contributions of grain are annually re- 
quired for the service of government, which the 



326 



GOVERNMENTAL POLICY 



[let XI. 



farmer is compelled to supply at the price fixed 
by the Divan # while the crop is on the ground. 
The price fixed is generally a pretty fair one, and 
indeed can hardly be otherwise in the district to 
which I refer, as the members of the court by 
which it is determined are nearly all large landed 
proprietors ; and although this exaction does 
depress the agriculture of the country, it would 

* The title of this court is "Divan Medjlis ech-chara er-ali," 
i. e. " The High Council of Law/' and its members are 
f Moufti Efendi : President. 
X Nakib Efendi : Vice-president. 
Nasib Efendi. 
Omar Efendi Ghazi. 
Hasibi Efendi. 
Hidjilani Zade. 

Abdallah Bey, son of Asad Pacha;. 
Khalil Bey, cousin of the Moutasellim of Damascus. 
Ahmed Bey, son of the Moutasellim of Damascus. 
Raghib Efendi, son of Taki ed-din Efendi. 
All Agha DjabriZade. 
Abdallah Agha. 
Ahmet Efendi Malki Zade. 

Mouallim Rafael Farhi, a Jew named by Ibrahim Pacha ; 
And one Christian, named by the members of the council. 
The two last have their seats only during two months of each 
year 

All the sentences and decisions of the council are referred to 
Shereef Pacha, and Bahri Bey. All the members of the court 
are proprietors of lands and villages. 



f Moufti is the title of the chief doctor of the law. 
X Probably the Nakib, or chief, of the descendants of the 
Prophet. 



LET. XI.] 



OF MEHEMET ALL 



327 



not be so severely felt were it not for the vexatious 
mode in which it is enforced. No grain can be 
removed from the ground until it has been 
surveyed by the government officer, and the re- 
quired portion claimed for the government service ; 
and it consequently happens, that the crop is 
sometimes injured by remaining too long in the 
field. In a climate like Syria, however, this is not 
the greatest grievance which the farmer has to 
bear ; the crop seldom suffers much, but the por- 
tion claimed by the government must be delivered 
at the government granaries, which may be one, 
two, or three days' journey from the farm, and for 
this no allowance is made. This is certainly the 
heaviest tax to which the agriculture of the country 
is subject, and it is a very grievous one. Tibbin, 
or chopped straw, which is used as a substitute for 
hay, is supplied to the government in the same 
manner. 

Mr. Farren states, in his letter to Lord Lindsay, 
that grain is purchased in this manner by the 
government for speculative purposes, at a rate 
below the market value, and then brought into the 
market ; thus establishing a competition, in every 
way disadvantageous to the farmers. 

In Bey rout there was no grain sold by the 
government this season — no one to whom I spoke 
on the subject appeared to be aware of any such 



328 



GOVERNMENTAL POLICY 



[lki. XI, 



practice — and gentlemen in the service of the 
European governments, as well as in that of 
Mehemet Ali, have assured me, that the exactions 
of grain are, as near as can be, regulated by the 
wants of the service ; but that the surplus, if any, 
is sold at the market price at the end of the 
season. 

The suhhra, or impressment of animals for 
the service of government, is another grievous 
burden on the people. This is enforced whenever 
troops are on a march, or when regiments are 
moving into summer quarters; and, besides the 
loss sustained by the government rate of hire 
being lower than that of the market, the system 
is attended by circumstances of a more vexatious 
and injurious nature. The soldiers, I am afraid, 
often take animals from the pastures without taking 
the trouble to inquire to whom they belong ; the 
owners may be old, infirm, or women, and unable 
to follow the march ; the beasts are often over- 
loaded and otherwise ill-treated, and no compen- 
sation is allowed for those that die. The animals 
must sometimes be taken when their labour is 
required in the field, and the operations of the 
farmer are either injuriously interrupted, or he is 
obliged to hire other animals at a higher rate 
than he receives for his own. The class which 
appears to suffer least by the suhhra are the 



LKT. XI.] 



OP MEHEMET ALL 



329 



regular muleteers. Many of them are men of 
substance, possessing ten, fifteen, and some of 
them as many as thirty mules, worth on an 
average 12/. sterling each. They are fine, active, 
sturdy fellows, and can generally manage to have 
their beasts well enough treated ; and they indem- 
nify themselves for the low rate of hire, by raising 
the market price for the conveyance of goods. 

But the most oppressive measure of the present 
government, that which has been most pernicious 
in its effects on the country, and most prejudicial 
to the interests of Meheinet Ali himself, is the 
conscription. The enormous extent to which it 
has been exercised, has drained the country of far 
too great a proportion of its population, and, of 
course, proved a serious check on its productive 
industry ; and the barbarous manner in which the 
conscription is enforced, has done more than any- 
thing else to alienate the good-will of the Syrian 
people from the present government. The wealthier 
merchants in the large towns were able for a while 
to procure substitutes for themselves or their sons, 
but this is becoming every day more difficult. In 
the villages, it is no sooner known that a new levy 
is about to take place, than the young men fly to 
the mountains for concealment ; and it has there- 
fore become necessary, if soldiers are to be pro- 
cured at all, to conceal the intentions of the 



330 



GOVERNMENTAL POLICY 



[let. IX 



government, march troops suddenly into the towns, 
and seize upon every able-bodied man, until the 
required levy is complete. The conscription, 
indeed, is a misnomer, for there is no system, no 
plan of making the population of one period suc- 
ceed that of another in their liability to military 
service ; the only appearance of system consists 
in fixing the number of men required from each 
town or village ; and they are then seized on with- 
out reference to age 5 station or employment. In 
this manner families frequently lose the only 
member who is capable of contributing to the 
support of the rest; and, in addition to the 
grievous violence to the domestic affections, which 
are very strong in the Syrian people, a great deal 
of merely physical misery is the consequence. 
Young men are forcibly separated from their 
families, tradesmen from the employment on which 
their wives and children depend for subsistence ; 
and the fellah is often seized in the midst of his 
agricultural operations, at the very season, perhaps, 
when his labour may be necessary for securing the 
harvest. No measure has proved more injurious 
to the country, than this abstraction of so large a 
portion of the population from its productive in- 
dustry; nothing has caused more general and 
individual suffering, or given a severer blow to the 
interests of Mehemet Ali in Syria. 



LET. XI.] 



OF MEHEMET ALL 



331 



But for the conscription, and those exactions 
which arise peculiarly from the Pacha's military 
establishment, I believe that the government of 
Mehemet Ali in Syria, if not so popular with the 
Mooslim as with the Christian population, would 
certainly be preferred to that of the Sultan. There 
is greater security of property than heretofore ; 
the laws are more impartially administered, and 
the extensive system of bribery, which was in itself 
a heavy tax upon the people, has been almost 
entirely abated. A few wealthy individuals may 
formerly have lived in greater luxury than is now 
generally seen ; but it was in the privacy of their 
own houses, and carefully concealed from all but 
their families and domestic slaves : now the mer- 
chants, and better class of shopkeepers in Damas- 
cus, dress and live in a style which, in former 
days, would only have marked them out as objects 
of plunder. Except in times of peculiar excite- 
ment, a Christian will no more submit to be 
defrauded or insulted by a Mooslim than by a 
Jew ; and in Beyrout, where the Christians are 
the majority of the population, they even wear the 
white turban, which is prohibited everywhere else. 

The influence of the Pacha's police regulations 
are very manifest, in the security with which all 
the great routes throughout the country may be 
travelled ; and in the detection and punishment of 



332 



GOVERNMENTAL POLICY 



[lkt, XI. 



crimes which, under the Turkish government, 
would have escaped all inquiry. No class, from 
the Pacha's own ministers to the meanest fellah, 
is exempt from the operation of the laws; and 
there can be no doubt that one or two instances, 
in which the delinquencies of the former have met 
with exemplary punishment, have had a very salu- 
tary influence in checking any abuse of power on 
the part of the officers of the government. An 
instance of this occurred some time before my 
arrival at Beyrout ; w T hen the governor, a man of 
high military rank, was punished with well-deserved 
severity for a most nefarious abuse of power. He 
had acquainted many individuals of the place that 
the conscription was about to be enforced, and 
offered to secure their families against its opera- 
tion, in consideration of certain sums of money; 
which he had no sooner received than he caused 
the parties, by whom he had been bribed, to be 
seized and hurried away to the head-quarters of 
the district. The complaints of the people of 
Beyrout, which never could have reached Con- 
stantinople, very soon came to the ears of Mehemet 
Ali ; and the governor was not only degraded 
from his military rank, but condemned to work in 
chains on the fortifications of Acre, where he now 
remains. 

Several imposts which were formerly farmed, 



LET. XI.] 



OF MEHEMET ALI. 



333 



are now collected by the government ; and in every 
instance, I believe, the change has been a bene- 
ficial one. The miri is still farmed by the Emir 
Besheer in his own territory, and is heavier than 
along the coast, where it is collected for the go- 
vernment. The arbitrary reduction of the current 
value of the circulating coinage is an unjust and 
vexatious measure, which has been, of late, as fre- 
quently adopted by the Sultan as by Mehemet 
Ali. The intrinsic value of the Egyptian gold 
coinage is much greater than that of the Turkish, 
however ; and the Pacha's coins are consequently 
disappearing, as they are frequently melted, or 
exported to England. 

When we consider the nature of Mahommedan 
government, and the influence of the Mahomme- 
dan religion, to repress all improvement and oppose 
all change, I think it must be allowed that the 
reforms which Mehemet Ali has effected, give 
evidence of great energy, and of very considerable 
political sagacity. That his policy has been some- 
times unwise, as regards his own interests, and 
that the Syrian people have many grievances to 
complain of, there can be no doubt whatever ; but 
the choice is not between the government of Me- 
hemet Ali, and such a system as you or I would 
desire to replace it with, but between his govern- 
ment and that of the Porte ; and I am very much 



334 



GOVERNMENTAL POLICY 



[let XI. 



mistaken indeed, if the latter be not found the 
more oppressive of the two. 

Mehemet Ali, and his supporters, say that the 
grievances under which Syria now labours arise 
from the peculiar exigencies of his political posi- 
tion ; from the necessity of maintaining so large 
an army, to secure himself in the possession of the 
country he has conquered. There is certainly 
some truth in this ; for, were the army reduced, 
the conscription abandoned for a few years, and 
some of the heavy burdens connected with the 
military government abolished, the Syrian people 
would enjoy more personal freedom, and greater 
security for their lives and property, than ever 
they did under the Turks. The attachment of the 
Christians to the present government is a proof of 
this ; and I do not think that the insurrections in 
the Hauran, and other districts, arose from any 
desire on the part of the people to restore the 
government of the Sultan. There can be little 
doubt that these risings were occasioned by the 
secret influence of the Osmanlee chiefs in Da- 
mascus, during the excitement arising from the 
conscription, and the seizure of grain for the 
government. On the part of the people, I believe, 
it was a mere resistance of the government, with- 
out any definite ulterior object ; on the part of the 
Damascene nobles, it was with the hope of restoring 



LET. XI.] 



OF MEHEMET ALL 



335 



the Osmanlee dominion : not that the country might 
be relieved from oppression, but that they might 
recover their independent and irresponsible power, 
under the old system of favouritism and fanaticism. 

If the promises of Mehemet Ali are to be 
trusted, the recognition of his government by 
Europe would be followed by the reduction of his 
army, and the removal of many burdens which 
press heavily on the productive industry of the 
country. His own interest is some security for 
the sincerity of these promises ; for the revenue 
of Syria, after paying the tribute to the Porte, 
and the expenses of the civil government, leaves a 
considerable balance in his favour, which is at 
present exhausted by his military expenditure. I 
confess I should like to see the experiment tried, 
and I believe the same feeling is entertained by a 
great portion of the Syrian people. While the 
issue of the invasion from Turkey was in suspense, 
all trade was at a stand ; but immediately after 
the victory of Nazib, confidence revived. It is now 
hoped by many that the Pacha's government will 
be recognised by Europe, and by all that peace on 
some permanent basis will be established between 
him and the Porte. 

It is worthy of remark, that many of the most 
important changes produced by the government 
of Mehemet Ali, have arisen from his indifference 



336 



GOVERNMENTAL POLICY 



[let. xr. 



to the maintenance of the long-dominant religion ; 
and that, however his un-Mahommedan opinions 
and practice may ha ve offended the more fanatical 
Mooslims, they have had considerable influence in 
relaxing the bigotry and softening the prejudices 
of the great mass of the people. Franks are 
generally treated with civility, and the English 
are everywhere popular, and highly respected. 
The Syrians have a high opinion of our wisdom 
and upright dealing. " The word of an English- 
man " is proverbial ; and they believe that he can 
do many more wonderful things than making 
watches and pen-knives. It is curious that a very 
general belief prevails both in Egypt and Syria, 
that the English will one day take possession of 
these countries ; and I have been asked more than 
once by Christians, if I knew when the English 
were coming. 

The establishment of missionary schools is likely, 
I think, to exercise an important influence on the 
future prospects of this country. The American 
schools, which have been in operation for some 
years °t Bey rout, appear to be admirably con- 
ducted ; and the missionaries are men, not only 
of exemplary piety, but of extensive and varied 
acq. rement. Their church service, in the Arabic 
language, is sometimes attended by not less than 
150 adult natives. The instruction in the schools 



LKT. XI. J 



OF MEHEMET ALL 



337 



is altogether in the English language, and, besides 
the principles of the Christian religion, comprises 
the usual branches of an English education — read- 
ing, writing, arithmetic, geometry, mechanics, &c. 
The acquisition of the English aild French lan- 
guages is becoming a very important qualification 
to young men intended for mercantile situations, 
or for the service of government, or of the Eu- 
ropean consulates ; and although s<: "ne may be 
influenced by higher motives, many will, I believe, 
send their children to these schools for the pur- 
pose of obtaining a European education. By such 
means we cannot fail to introduce, however slowly 
at first, such a knowledge of European history 
and European institutions, as may awaken the 
people from that self-satisfied ignorance which 
characterises all Oriental nations, and which forms 
one of the greatest obstacles to their advancement 
in civilisation. Nor will this effect, it may be 
hoped, be unaccompanied by the saving as well as 
civilising knowledge of the truths of the Gospel. 

By his toleration and protection of these schools 
Mehemet Ali is doing more towards the civilisa- 
tion of Syria than he dreams of, or than can ever 
be accomplished under a more rigidly Mahonl- 
medan government. Under the Turks, not only 
will many of his political reforms be overturned, J \ 
but this source of knowledge and civilisation be 1 
stopped, and the country recede into the state of 

Q 



888 GOVERNMENTAL POLICY [let. xi. 

barbarism which characterised the reign of the 
Turkish pachas. Mahommedism once more domi- 
nant, will quickly deliver itself from the presence 
of whatever would dispel the darkness and igno- 
rance which are necessary to its existence. 

Mehemet Ali is too sagacious and far-sighted 
not to know that, even were his government in 
Syria and Egypt recognised by Europe, his secu- 
rity in these possessions would be greatly increased 
by his remaining tributary to the Porte, as he 
would then enjoy all the advantage to be derived 
from the name and power of the Sultan. His 
object is, to secure the hereditary government of 
these provinces, remaining nominally a vassal of 
the Porte, and continuing to pay the present tri- 
bute. So say his supporters ; and it is said that 
the Sultan is inclined to accede to his terms. 

The Porte, however, is too weak to act indepen- 
dently. The settlement of the question will de- 
pend on the decision of the European powers ; 
and the sooner it is settled the better. It is the 
Pacha's great military establishment ; his conti- 
nual apprehension that Syria may be wrested from 
his grasp ; and his warlike preparations for such 
an emergency — that are exhausting the energies 
of the country. 

How the recognition of the Pacha's government 
in Syria might affect the balance of power in 
Europe is a question which I have not considered, 



LET. XI.] 



OF MEHEMET ALL 



339 



and on which I do not presume to offer an opinion. 
It is the interest which I feel in the prospects of 
the Syrian people, especially in the intelligent, 
active, and industrious people of Mount Lebanon, 
which makes me wish that the present government 
may not be disturbed. 

Observe that I am not defending the government 
of Mehemet Ali, except in comparison with that of 
the Turkish pachas ; under which all classes, but 
especially the Christians, were more oppressed than 
at present. Many of Mehemet Ali's measures have 
had a very salutary effect on the country, and the 
trade of Beyrout has increased fourfold since 1833. 
I should have very confident hopes that the recog- 
nition of his government would be followed by a 
gradual amelioration in the condition of the people; 
that the natural productions of the country would 
be increased, and improved in quality ; and that the 
trade might become an important one to England. 

It must not be forgotten that the government of 
Mehemet Ali is not to be replaced by a more 
enlightened and civilised system ; it will only be 
exchanged for a similar despotism, if Syria be 
restored to the Turks. His government will only 
be superseded by that of another pacha, or, more 
probably, three pachas, as formerly, independent 
of each other, and all but independent of the 
supreme government. 

All the old abuses will be revived : the avania^ the 



340 



GOVERNMENTAL POLICY 



[let. XI, 



bribery and extortion, the corrupt administration 
of the laws, and the partial exaction of the public 
taxes from individuals. The old fanaticism will 
again be dominant. Woe to the Christian who 
presumes to ride on horseback in the streets of 
Damascus, or who is so unwise as to appear rich 
enough to have a horse at all ! The Beyroutees 
must discard their white turbans, if they would 
keep their heads safe. Woe to the man who refuses 
to buy the pacha of Acre's soap, or who dares to 
call the produce of his silkworms his own ! — let him 
not be contumacious, but take the soap at three 
times its value, and sell his silk at half-price, lest, 
like our friend Saliba, the insolence of his tongue 
be visited on the soles of his feet. 

I hope your patience has not been so severely 
tried by this long letter as mine has by the quaran- 
tine. Fort Manuel has become more dreary and 
monotonous in my eyes than the Desert. To-mor- 
row morning I shall be released, and at one o'clock 
I embark in the French steam-ship " Scamandre" 
for Leghorn. I shall take one week of Florence to 
gather my European ideas together ; a visit to the 
Venus de Medicis, and the Andrea del Sartos, a 
stroll ambng the shady alleys of the Boboli gardens; 
and then bid adieu to cloudless skies and sunshine 
for the fogs of London and our guid town, where 

The rain it raineth every day. 



LET. XII.] 



OP MEHEMET ALI. 



341 



LETTER XII. 

Supplementary to the preceding— Prosecution of the Jews — 
Insurrection in Mount Lebanon, &c. — Conclusion. 

Glasgow, Sept. 15, 1840. 

Events have occurred since my return to this 
country, which may appear, from the false colouring 
with which they have been presented to the public, 
to be somewhat inconsistent with the preceding 
remarks. In point of fact, however, neither the 
treatment of the Jews at Damascus, nor the in- 
surrection of the Christians in Mount Lebanon, 
are at all inconsistent with my assertion, that both 
Christians and Jews have enjoyed unusual tran- 
quillity under the government of Mehemet Ali. 

The first person arrested on suspicion of the 
murder of Padre Tomaso, was a Jewish barber, 
who confessed his own participation in the crime, 
and the names of his accomplices. Three of these 
had fled to Bagdad, but the others were arrested, 
confined in separate cells, and separately examined ; 
and their confessions agreed in the most minute 
particulars, as to the circumstances of the murder, 
and the concealment of the remains of the bodies. 

q 3 



342 



PUNISHMENT OF THE 



[let. XII. 



After their confession the accused were taken, each 
separately, with a guard of soldiers, to show the 
place where the mutilated remains had been buried. 
They all pointed out the same spot ; the ground 
was opened, and the bones examined by Dr. 
Lograsso, the superintendant of the military hos- 
pital, who pronounced them to be human bones. 

All these confessions were given under the 
bastinado ; and God forbid that I should appear 
to defend so barbarous and inhuman a practice ; 
but no other mode of torture was employed, and 
the minute and disgusting details which appeared 
in some of our public journals, were mere fabrica- 
tions, got up for the purpose of exciting a feeling 
in this country against the Pacha of Egypt. 

I state these facts on the authority of a highly 
respectable British merchant, who was in Damas- 
cus while the investigation was going on, and who 
is as little under the influence of any prejudice 
against the Jews as any man I know. 

No one may justify the mode in which these 
proceedings were conducted ; but it is an error to 
characterise them as a religious persecution. Con- 
fessions are extorted by the same means, in all 
similar judicial examinations, in every part of the 
Turkish dominions ; and the Damascene J ews 
were subjected to this torture, not as Jews, but as 
criminals. They would have been treated in the 



let. xii.] JEWS AT DAMASCUS. 343 

same manner, had they been Mahommedans. The 
assertion that this accusation was got up for the 
purpose of extorting money from the Jews, is 
equally unfounded : on the contrary, it is well 
known that large sums were offered to the local 
government to stay proceedings, and refused. 

During the excitement occasioned by these pro- 
ceedings, the Jews were exposed to violence from 
the populace ; but the government interfered with 
none except those accused of the murder. 

Among the Europeans in Beyrout and Damascus 
I learn that there is no doubt that the persons 
accused were guilty of the murder. The second 
part of the accusation, viz., the use of blood in the 
Passover cakes, was part of their own confession ; 
and, however it may be discredited, it has not been 
disproved. Arguments have been brought from the 
Old Testament, the Rabbinical writings, and the 
practice of the Jews in all ages, to show that the 
use of blood for such a purpose is unknown and 
unheard of till now ; and that therefore the accusa- 
tion is false. I confess this appears to me rather an 
illogical conclusion. On the same grounds it might 
be asserted that Jews never fall into idolatry, nor 
eat unclean meat, nor do anything that is prohibited 
in their law. Nor was this accusation brought 
against the Jewish people, but against a small sect 
whose tenets and practices, founded on oral tradi- 
tion, are scarcely known to any but themselves. 



344 ABORTIVE INSURRECTION. [let. xii„ 

But my object is neither to defend the govern- 
ment of Mehemet Ali nor to criminate the Jews of 
Damascus. I would simply point out that this was 
not a religious persecution, and repeat that the 
Jews have suffered less, and enjoyed more personal 
freedom, under Mehemet Ali, than they did under 
the Turkish pachas, or than they do now in the 
Sultan's dominions. I think that all Jews who 
have visited Palestine of late years, would admit 
this to be the case. 

Of the insurrection in Mount Lebanon it is 
scarcely necessary now to say anything. The 
mountaineers resisted the order for their disarma- 
ment, as they had done on a former occasion ; and 
the insurrection would soon have been put down, 
had it not been fomented by English agents for 
political purposes. The excitement has subsided, 
and now all the exertions of Admiral Napier and 
Mr. Moore, the English consul, are unable to blow 
it into a flame again. The whole affair has failed 
of its intended effect ; and the mountaineers, how- 
ever willing to have their grievances redressed, 
have no wish to exchange the government of Me- 
hemet Ali for that of the Sultan. They have expe- 
rienced both, and know which is most tolerable. 

If it was in the hope of exciting a revolutionary 
movement in the country, that the British squadron 
have appeared off Beyrout, the hope is, I think, a 
vain one. The Christians hate and fear the Osman- 



let. xii.] HOSTILITIES AT BEYROUT. 345 

lees more than they do the Egyptians, and will not 
rise in favour of the Sultan. 

Since it is resolved that Mehemet Ali shall relin- 
quish possession of Syria, it is most desirable that 
he submit to the terms offered by the four Powers. 
He cannot ultimately succeed in so unequal a con- 
test ; and timely concessions on his part may avert 
much misery and bloodshed. 

Even now, before the negotiations at Alexandria • 
are concluded, Admiral Napier has commenced 
hostilities at Beyrout. But the evacuation of that 
town by the Egyptian troops, or the attack with 
which the Admiral has threatened it, will not 
advance matters one step, nor serve any other 
purpose than to exasperate the country against us. 
One frigate and a steamer might have blockaded 
the port of Beyrout, and effectually prevented the 
landing of troops, or warlike stores ; and while 
the whole squadron are investing that town, Acre, 
which commands the communication with Egypt, 
and is the key to the whole surrounding province, 
is left undisturbed in the hands of Abbas Pacha. 
Time is allowed him to complete his defences, and 
for Ibrahim to pour reinforcements, unopposed, 
into this important fortress. The investment of 
Acre would have embarrassed Mehemet Ali more 
than any blow that could be struck from Alex- 
andria to the Gulf of Scanderoon ; and, as it will 
be the most important point of attack, in the event 



346 



MABONITES AND DRUSES. [let. xir. 



of active operations becoming necessary, the block- 
ade of Beyrout with so overwhelming a force seems 
little better than waste of time. 

It is in vain to hope for any revolutionary move- 
ment in our favour, except from the Maronites ; and 
the Admiral's proclamations to them have pro- 
duced no effect. They might rise, were there a 
hope of their being permanently placed under 
British protection, but I do not believe they will 
ever move for the restoration of the Osmanlees. 
The Druses will join in any general rising of the 
Mooslim inhabitants ; but the landing of a Euro- 
pean army will be the commencement of a holy 
war against the Franks. The ancient fanaticism 
has already manifested itself, and once called into 
activity, will spread like wildfire over the whole 
land ; the contest will assume a new character, 
and we shall find, not the Egyptian armies, but 
the whole country against us. 

If active measures are to be taken, a great blow 
must be struck at once, in mercy to the country, 
as well as for our own sakes. Any operations 
undertaken with inadequate means, will only 
embitter and prolong the struggle. The slightest 
advantage ' gained at first will infuse additional 
energy into the Egyptian troops, already confident 
in the hitherto uninterrupted success of Ibrahim, 
and animated by a fanatic zeal in the cause of 
Islam. If once the war assumes a religious cha- 



let. xii.] COMPLICATION OF DIFFICULTIES. 347 

racter, the Turkish troops will fall away from their 
European allies, and the country will rise against 
us : the rains will commence in October and con- 
tinue till February; and the climate and pestilence 
will come in to aggravate all the horrors of war. 

Before these pages are printed, Mehemet Ali 
will have submitted to his fate 5 or active operations 
will have commenced ; and, in the latter case, it 
is impossible not to fear that some very " untoward 
event " may follow. France will not remain neuter, 
if the Russians occupy Constantinople, or if Rus- 
sian troops are landed in Syria. 

Should Mehemet Ali accept the terms offered 
him by the four Allied Powers, the immediate 
danger may be averted ; but his independent 
sovereignty of Egypt will be little better than a 
dependency of Great Britain, who, from her Indian 
territory, commands the entrance to the Red Sea, 
and may at any time land an army, already inured 
to a tropical climate, within three days' march of 
Cairo. 

If the object of our present policy in the East 
be to preserve the integrity of the Turkish domi- 
nions, we begin oddly enough by offering an im- 
portant section of them to Mehemet Ali. We 
call him a rebel and usurper ; with one hand we 
threaten to punish his rebellion, and with the 
other we reward it with the sovereignty of Egypt. 
Who gains by this partition of the Sultans do- 



348 



POLICE OP BUSSIA. 



[let. xn. 



minions ? England alone ; and her influence over 
this newly erected sovereignty may prove quite 
sufficient cause of jealousy to involve us in a 
European war. 

Has Russia no ulterior object ? Mehemet Ali 
may hesitate to believe that " the barren countries 
of Nubia, of Sudan, of Senaar, offer a vast field 
for the conquests of science and civilisation;" and 
possessed as he is of a large army and immense 
materiel of war, it is at least to be feared that he 
may, as he has threatened, " turn the empire 
upside down, and bury himself under its ruins." 
Then will Russia be the first to plant her iron 
footstep on the fallen empire, in her first stride 
towards our Indian possessions, so long the object 
of her ambitious and crooked policy. The Sultan, 
among his Frank allies, like a traveller in the 
hands of the Bedaween Arabs, will be stripped to 
the skin, and left to perish. The Mahommedan 
power will be for ever overthrown. May He 
who " maketh the wrath of man to praise him," 
overrule all for the establishment of His own 
kingdom in its stead ! 

THE END. 



LONDON : 

BRADBURY AND E VAN3, PRINTERS, WHITE FRIARS. 



